The American Spectator

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As a devout conservative, I wish to debate the assertion that the “anti-circumcision movement” is liberal-driven.

Okay, I’ll admit that groups like NoCirc and ACM are radical — I am unable to say “radical liberal” because I don’t know enough about their roots, but they are, indeed, radical. But I would argue that the basic surgical philosophy of advising against circumcision is completely conservative at its core.

Circumcision is a cosmetic procedure with little or no significant medical advantage (hygiene is the only claimed benefit, and that is subject to some disagreement based on interpretation of data). Your citation of the New England Journal is old news, and, again, reflects issues related to hygiene. Culturally in this country, men who are not circumcised (because of their age or ethnicity) have typically been raised in ways that fail to emphasize proper hygiene. Circumcised men can also get papilloma virus and can also pass it on, increasing the partner’s risk of cancer.

Circumcision is often performed on newborn infants who have no say in the decision whether to have his appearance altered in this way.

I suggest that any reasonable conservative should attempt to hold the line against cosmetic surgery being imposed upon the unwitting.

Don’t get me wrong — as a pediatrician for 25 years, I do between three and five circumcisions per week. I long since gave up trying to talk parents out of it (it doesn’t work). But if I had another son today (my son was born when I was a naïve medical student, and he IS circumcised), I would not have the procedure done again. I think my rationale for that decision comes basically from my conservative point of view.

Additionally, I know a few other conservative pediatricians (a rare breed, we) — all agree and all for the same reasons. Admittedly, some of my liberal colleagues also believe routine newborn circumcision is wrong, but their reasons don’t seem to be the same.

By the way, scripturally (I am also an ordained minister) the New Testament church has clearly been exempted us from the legal responsibility to be circumcised that had been imposed upon the Old Testament Jews.

p>My only reason for raising this debate is that, I fear, your comments may cause your conservative readers to believe that having their own sons circumcised is the “conservative” choice. In my view, it is not. br> — B. Paul Choate, M.D. br> Colorado Springs, CO /p> p>