Practical Ethics

On the ethics of non-therapeutic circumcision of minors, with a post script on the law

By Brian D. Earp (Follow Brian on Twitter by clicking here.)

Seattle, 1985. I escaped the hospital with my penis intact. Lucky for me. Routine neonatal circumcision in boys is unethical, unnecessary, and should be made illegal in the United States. Or so I argue in this post.

Yet lawmakers in California, it is now being reported, have introduced a bill with the opposite end in mind. They wish to ban legislation that could forbid circumcision-without-consent. Read that sentence again. What could be going on?

Continue reading →