| Promotion of Circumcision Is a Dangerous Mistake |
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| Tuesday, 20 July 2010 | |
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The human rights group Intact America (IA), in cooperation with the International Coalition for Genital Integrity (ICGI), is exhibiting at the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna. “The promotion of male circumcision sends the wrong message, creates a false sense of protection, and places women at greater risk for HIV. Men are already lining up to be circumcised in the belief that they no longer need to use condoms,” said Georganne Chapin, Director of IA. “It is troubling that scarce resources would be squandered on this prevention method when new research shows that the use of antiretrovirals (ART) reduce transmission by 92%. Our resources need to be devoted to ARTS, plus condom programs and vaccines. Of particular ethical concern is the recent push for infant circumcision to prevent HIV. Neonatal circumcision destroys erogenous tissue and places newborns at immediate risk of infection, hemorrhage, penile damage, and even death. |
