Community Corner

Northfield Parents Talk: To Circumcise or Not to Circumcise?

The topic, tied to religious beliefs, hygiene issues, health, and even sexual pleasure, is emotionally charged.

This week's topic:

To circumcise or not to circumcise?

New York Magazine posted a series of articles exploring the pros and cons of circumcision. Trends in recent years have caused parents to reconsider circumcision for their sons. The topic, tied to religious beliefs, hygiene issues, health, and even sexual pleasure, is emotionally charged.  

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In "Would You Circumcise This Baby?," author Michael Idov writes, "Circumcision is still, as it has been for decades, one of the most routinely performed surgical procedures in the United States—a million of the operations are performed every year. Yet more Americans are beginning to ask themselves the same question the Moreas did: Why, exactly, are we doing this? Having peaked at a staggering 85 percent in the sixties and seventies, the U.S. newborn-circumcision rate dropped to 65 percent in 1999 and to 56 percent in 2006. Give or take a hiccup here and there, the trend is remarkably clear: Over the past 30 years, the circumcision rate has fallen 30 percent. All evidence suggests that we are nearing the moment (2014?) when the year’s crop of circumcised newborns will be in the minority."


About Parents Talk:

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Each week in Parents Talk, our Parents Council—a group of parents who work with us to share what matters to them and in turn to other local parents—will take your questions, offer advice and provide solutions. The parents, who have graciously given their time and thoughts, and who you'll see posting their comments on our Parents Talk discussions, are: , , and .

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