Re: OB: Another Reason NOT To Perform Newborn Circumcisions
From: barborza@attbi.com
Sat May 3 07:47:50 2003
I a practice I previously worked with, we always obtained consent for
circumcision before the birth and sent that form to the hospital with the
prenatal records.
Barbara Orza, CNM
Lawrenceville, GA
> 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
> >
>
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