Harm

indie-cropThis story from the Independent of Saturday 18th May 2013 reports the deaths of 23 boys in rituals involving circumcision, the deaths are being taken very seriously by the South African authorities.

It should be pointed out that circumcision, if it is carried out without the fully informed consent of the youth being cut, is an assault which should also be taken very seriously by the authorities.

Doctors are supposed to “do no harm” but non-therapeutic circumcision is by definition harmful. The presence of doctors at such ceremonies gives an illusion of medical respectability that is not merited.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *