LEADING ARTICLE

Circumcision

Religious circumcision and the Human Rights Act

A R Gatrad¹, A Sheikh², H Jacks^1,3

¹ Manor Hospital, Moat Road, Walsall WS2 9PS, UK
² Department of Primary Care and General Practice, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK
³ Mills & Reeve, 54 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8PE, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr A R Gatrad;
steadmana@wht.walsallh-tr.wmids.nhs.uk

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Implications for state provision

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Keywords: circumcision; religion; National Health Service; Human Rights Act

Medicine today is in a delicate state of balance between the paternalistic and the modern; an increasingly empowered public demands its rights, while the medical profession is frequently seen as taking refuge behind a shield offered by evidence based medicine. When viewed in this context, it is perhaps not surprising that male religious circumcision—the most widely practised surgical operation in the world¹—invokes considerable controversy and debate within the secularised West.

It is estimated that one third of the global male population is circumcised.² Both Jewish and Islamic law sanction and indeed promote religious circumcision for males. Of concern then is the observation made by many that despite the presence of sizeable faith communities in Britain that adhere to this tradition, state provision of services for religious circumcision remains, at best, patchy. Religious minority communities demand the right to practice their faith, while medical opinion in Britain has historically . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Patrick, K. (2007). Is infant male circumcision an abuse of the rights of the child? No. BMJ 335: 1181-1181 [Full Text]  
• Laird, L. D, Amer, M. M, Barnett, E. D, Barnes, L. L (2007). Muslim patients and health disparities in the UK and the US. Arch. Dis. Child. 92: 922-926 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Crawford, D. A. (2002). Circumcision: A Consideration of Some of the Controversy. J Child Health Care 6: 259-270 [Abstract]  

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