Ethical issues of circumcision without medical grounds from the perspective of a pediatric surgeon

This article examines the bioethical aspects of ritual and prophylactic circumcision of boys (CВ). Religious, cultural, and social factors influence not only the decisions of many parents to have their children circumcised, but also those of pediatric surgeons who are asked to perform such an operation. When or under what conditions is it considered ethical to circumcise the genitals of boys unless it is medically necessary? The central ethical issue at stake is that СВ in infants is contrary to standard surgical principles because there is no absolute medical indication for its performance. In most ordinary circumstances, genital cutting of any individual without his or her own informed consent is a gross violation of that individual’s right to physical integrity and sexual expression. The medical, ethical, cultural, and legal issues surrounding CВ performed without medical indications are numerous and complex, and are deeply rooted in Western civilization, which is unequivocally based on respect for basic human rights and on the protection of the physical and mental health of every member of society. The topic of СВ is a complex paradigm for today's pluralistic, multi-ethnic and multicultural society, in which various demands, traditions, rights, cultural, religious and ideological norms conflict with each other. Like any surgical operation, it carries a risk of complications, which can be defined as early (bleeding, inflammation, damage to the glans and urinary retention) and late (such as phimosis, penile torsion and urethral cutaneous fistula). СВ, based on cultural and religious factors that are deeply ingrained in some segments of society, should be conducted in conditions of maximum security in specialized medical institutions and with properly trained personnel.