Please answer question 2 in the think critically box think about it The Question
ID: 89128 • Letter: P
Question
Please answer question 2 in the think critically boxthink about it The Question of Male Circumcision Who shall decide when doctors disagree? Because circumcision can be beneficial to older men as -Alexander Pope well, the CDC says information about the procedure also especially those considered to be at higher risk of In 197s, when about ofnewborn boys cumcised, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Many parents choose to circumcise their sons American College of obstetricians and Gynecologists because they feel is more common or because they do statement declaring that there is "no absolute not want their sons to feel different Circumcision is a reli- medical indication" for routine circumcision. This proce- gious obligation for infant Jewish boys and a dure, which involves slicing and removing the sleeve of procedure among Muslims, who account for the largest skin (Toreskin that covers the glans penis, has been per- share of circumcised men worldwide. formed routinely on newborn boys in the United States At the same time, there are still reasons by parents since the 1930s. Since that time, however, the national rates of newborn circumcision have fluctuated. From 1979 through 2010, there was an overal 10% decline, from 64.5% to 58.3i (owings, Uddin, & Williams, 2013. These changes have most likely reflected the shifting guidance on routine newborn male circumcision. In 1999, 2005, and most recently 2014, the Ameri- circumcise, including fear of the who may choose not to risks of infection and other complications (hough and usually minor. belief that the foreskin protect the tip of the penis, belief that a can decrease sexual pleasure in later lie, and belief that proper hygiene can lower a boy's risk of get- ting infections, cancer of the penis, and STIs. For those can Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) changed from a neu- whose boys are not cincumcised. important to keep tral stance on to a recommendation that the penis clean. When the boy is old enough, he can learn how to manage this himselt newborn male be available to families who desire it, as the benefits of the procedure out- Though the wider US population has adopted the weigh the risks (AAP. 2014.12a. The American College practice of male circumcision, public awareness and oppo- Obstetricians and Gynecologists has endorsed this circumcision have grown fromthose who under- sition to recommendation, while the World Health Organization score the pain, bleeding, and risk ofinection to WHO) and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/ growing number of people argue that circumcision vio- AIDS (UNAIDS) have recommended that male circum- lates a baby's human right because an infant can't consent cision be scaled up as an intervention for the preven- and that it's akin to gental mutlation Controversy has also tion of heterosexually acquired HIV infections (WHO, surrounded a wave of state Medicaid programs that have 2014.12a). Following the release of AAP's stand, the stopped paying for newborn circumcision, which costs Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC roughly $50 to $200 while the evidence continues to issued its own guidelines, which mirrored AAP's, and build on behar of So does the debate that provided additional evidence underscore the surrounds this decision. circumcision (CDC, 201412g0, The advantages of male CDC stated that male circumcision reduces the risk of HIV and some STIs in heterosexual men. More cally, male circumcision can: Think Critically 1 Given the evidence about circumcision, would Cut a man's risk of getting HIV from an infected female partner by 50%-60% you have your son circumcised? Why Reduce their risk of genital herpes and certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPM by 30% or more. 2. How important would data be in deciding whether to have your son circumcised? Lower the odds of urinary tract infections during infancy as well as cancer of the penis in adulthood. Giving Birth 383
Explanation / Answer
Data in this context can be understood to be statistical or information regarding advantages/disadvantages of having circumcision.
1. Statistical data would help a person decide whether he wants to get his son circumcised. The more the nuber of people who get circumcised, the more the trust that circumcision would be better or vice-versa.
2. Information regarding advantages/disadvantages of having circumcision would educate a person to take a meaningful, logical and well informed decision to undergo circumcision. He will not be carried away by the statistical reports.
Hence, data allows a person to take a well informed decision on getting his son circumcised or not.