Dutch doctors oppose non-medical circumcisions

The Royal Dutch Medical Association (KNMG) is calling on doctors not to carry our circumcisions without a good medical reason.

The official standpoint of KNMG and other related medical/scientific organisations is that ‘non-therapeutic circumcision of male minors is a violation of children’s rights to autonomy and physical integrity’. They urge doctors ‘to actively and insistently inform parents who are considering the procedure of the absence of medical benefits and the danger of complications’.

Complications include bleeding and infection

‘The rule is: do not operate on healthy children’, says Arie Nieuwenhuijzen Kruseman, chairman of the KNMG. ‘The reason for the adoption of an official standpoint regarding this matter is the increasing emphasis on the protection of children’s rights. Contrary to popular belief, circumcision can also cause complications – bleeding, infection, urethral stricture and panic attacks are particularly common. Full or partial penile amputations have also been reported as a consequence of complications.

‘It is an unfortunate fact that any surgical procedure can cause complications. Doctors accept this to a certain extent because there are medical reasons for the procedure. However, no complications can be justified that occur as the result of an operation that is medically unnecessary.'

According to the KNMG, minors should only be subjected to medical procedures in the event of illness or abnormalities, or if a convincing case can be made that the procedure is in the interests of the child (such as vaccination).

The KNMG is aware that the practice of circumcision of male minors has religious, symbolic and cultural meaning. It says it respects this and is calling for dialogue among medical associations, experts and the relevant religious groups.

A number of other scientific organisations have backed the KNMG’s position including: the Dutch Urological Association (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Urologie), the Dutch College of General Practitioners (Het Nederlands Huisartsengenootschap), the Dutch Paediatric Surgery Association (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kinderchirurgie), the Dutch Plastic Surgery Association (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Plastische Chirurgie), the Association of Surgeons of the Netherlands (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Heelkunde) and the Dutch Paediatric Association (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kindergeneeskunde).

A survey among a representative sample of KNMG members recently showed that individual doctors widely support the above standpoint.

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