Religious Surgery on Children
In the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), it is stated that "Parties shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children".
And, to quote Richard Dawkins (from "The God Delusion") - "I want everybody to flinch whenever we hear a phrase such as 'Catholic child' or 'Muslim child'. Speak of a 'child of Catholic parents' if you like; but if you hear anybody speak of a 'Catholic child', stop them and politely point out that children are too young to know where they stand on such issues". Parental rights to consent to treatment on behalf of their children come with the responsibility not to irreversibly brand their own ideological beliefs onto their children's genitalia.
Circumcision
The Secular Medical Forum believes that the removal of a child's foreskin - for non-medical reasons - should never be performed: and, NHS funds must not be used for this purpose. It is the duty of physicians to educate parents against such ritual procedures. Baby boys of jewish parents traditionally undergo circumcision on the eighth day of their lives: over 2,000 still suffer this ordeal in Britain annually. Boys born to Muslim parents are usually circumcised in early childhood.
Research published by Sorrells et al in 2007 confirms what many uncut men know- that the foreskin contains several of the most sensitive areas on the penis. Many men are too embarrassed to speak out about the harm done to their most intimate body parts in the name of their parents' religion. It is not they who should be ashamed. Scarring, infections, pain on urinating and psychosexual difficulties are not uncommon results of ritual childhood circumcision. The last two Social Attitudes surveys have shown that approximately 45% of UK adults define themselves as having 'No religion'. Parents should no more have the right to permanently mutilate their children's genitalia in the name of their own religion than they have to tattoo them. Tattooing a child under the age of 18 is illegal for obvious reasons. Male ritual non-therapeutic surgery is not.
Female Genital Mutilation
Some British girls of Muslim parents are still being sent back to the countries of their parents' origin for this dreadful procedure to be done. And, many believe it is even performed secretly in this country. Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been illegal in the UK since 1985 and the law was updated in 2003. It remains unclear why there has not been a single successful prosecution in all that time.
The Forum strongly deplores this cruel surgery which causes so much pain and permanent suffering.