Re: OB: Another Reason NOT To Perform Newborn Circumcisions
From: art fougner, md (evsono@pipeline.com)
Thu May 1 07:21:06 2003
Anna
this is NY - you need English, Spanish, Creole, Chinese ( multiple
dialects), Korean, Croatian, Arabic, Hebrew, German, etc .... LOL
art
At Wed, 30 Apr 2003, Anna Meenan, MD wrote:
>
>That being the case, what do you all do as far as obtaining consent for
>circs? Sounds like we need a form, signed in advance, by both parents if
>possible, that clearly states that the parents acknowledge that there is
>no medical indication for the procedure and are insisting it be done
>anyway. Is anyone using such a form? (and would you happen to have a
>Spanish translation of same?)
>
>--
> Anna Meenan, MD
>
>At Wed, 30 Apr 2003, art fougner, md wrote:
>>
>>Doctor and Hospital Settle Circumcision Lawsuit
>>Stage Set for Men to Sue for Being Circumcised as Infants
>>
>>http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/newswire/nw03/mnd/newswire042903.htm
>>
>>April 29, 2003
>>
>>SUFFOLK COUNTY, New York – After a two-and-a-half year legal battle with
>>Plaintiff William G. Stowell, the doctor and hospital have settled the
>>landmark circumcision case brought against them. The terms of the
>>settlements have not been publicly disclosed. Twenty-one-year old
>>Stowell filed suit December 19, 2000, in the U. S. District Court for
>>the Eastern District of New York, against the hospital where he was
>>circumcised and the physician who circumcised him as a newborn.
>>
>>Stowell, born on December 22, 1981, in West Islip, NY, was circumcised
>>the following day by his mother’s obstetrician. This case presented the
>>issue of the legal validity of consent for circumcision obtained by a
>>nurse from a mother who was debilitated by the effects of a Caesarian
>>section and painkillers. It also questioned whether a physician could
>>legally and ethically remove healthy, normal tissue from a
>>non-consenting minor for non-therapeutic reasons.
>>
>>David J. Llewellyn, one of Plaintiff Stowell’s attorneys, said,
>>“William and I are very happy that we were able to resolve this case
>>with both the hospital and the doctor. While a settlement is never an
>>admission of liability, I believe it shows that our allegations were
>>taken seriously. Never again can someone say that a young man who is
>>dissatisfied with his circumcision as an infant is being frivolous when
>>he objects to his mutilation and brings suit to obtain justice. This
>>case should send a message to doctors that they run the risk of a
>>lawsuit each time they circumcise an infant for non-therapeutic reasons,
>>particularly when they rely on the hospital to obtain consent the day
>>after birth. Social or cosmetic concerns provide no justification for
>>harmful surgery. I would expect that this is just the first of many
>>cases that will be brought by angry circumcised young men against their
>>circumcisers.”
>>
>>The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) first acknowledged that there
>>was no medical justification for routine circumcision in 1971. In 1999,
>>the AAP reaffirmed that it does not recommend routine circumcision. The
>>American Medical Association concurred in 2000, calling routine
>>circumcision “non-therapeutic.” No national or international medical
>>organization recommends routine circumcision.
>>
>>art
>>
>>--
>>art fougner, md
>>ich bin ein New Yorker
>>
--
art fougner, md
ich bin ein New Yorker
