Infant male circumcision will be banned in public hospitals in Victoria from next month, except in cases where there is a medical need. NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania have already restricted circumcisions in public hospitals and South Australia is considering a similar move. The changes come as the Royal Australasian College of Physicians is reviewing its policy on circumcision, which currently states there is no medical evidence to support the procedure.
Circumcisions were once performed routinely in most Western countries. However, in the 1980s, parents began to question the practice and now only about 10 per cent of boys in Australia are circumcised.
The RACP says the circumcision rate fell when parents began to worry that it may cause surgical complications.
“There is no evidence to support the circumcision of infant males and boys,” said the RACP’s director of policy and communication, Garry Disher.
Professor Morris, however, said circumcision significantly reduced the risk of urinary tract infections and transmitted disease.
(Source: The Australian)
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13 Responses
So will jews in Australia stop giving Brissim?
To #2, Infant male circumcision will be banned in public hospitals.
PS Even if it’s not “BENIFICIENT” why is it banned? Because “don’t tell me what to do”
#3 –
It’s banned because if the hospital doesn’t see a medical nessecity, why should they take a risk of liability?
The pronlem is that most brissim in Australia take place in the hospital because unlike in the USA, mother & baby are still in the hospital 8 days after the birth.
When will you wake up and realize that we are in a deep Galus, even in our beloved USA!
Ha-shem Yerachem on them if they do chas ve’sholom but it says only in hospitals.
Hey, Rag, the story was from Australia!
To #4
I was responding to #2’s question
So bottom line, why do we still have brissim if
there is no proven medical benefit?
#8
I don’t chap the shakleh vitaryeh
yerachem gam ken if #5 is RagachoversAssistant
Hi there from Australia
As far as I know the ban will apply only in cases that are NOT for religious purposes, and so bris milah should not be affected here in Australia.
Yasher Koach for your concern!
Thank You mensch for clearing that up.
Yatzmich, things have changed in Australia – women no longer stay 10 days in hospital as they used to. Brissn are no longer done in hospital.
The reason for this “ban” is simply cost-cutting. Since there is no medical reason to circumcise healthy babies, there’s no reason for the government to pay for it. If parents want it done they can pay for it themselves. That’s all this means.
By the way, the government used to pay for brissn done by mohalim; they stopped doing that a few years ago, and if you wanted a free circumcision you had to have it done by a doctor in hospital. Now that has been removed too. Maybe this will have a good effect, and parents will decide that since they’re paying anyway, they might as well get a mohel and do it properly.