Who is responsible for continuing the cutting?
“I have always maintained that even though we are all directly or indirectly responsible for this cultural tragedy, it is the one who holds the knife that is the most culpable; it is they who have the highest degree of responsibility. I have said many times, if I can find the information, so can they. The difference is, as physicians, they are professionally responsible to stay current on medical information and are obligated to protect the interests of their patients. With the abundance of information available over the last 20 years, being behind the curve on this one is simply unacceptable–legally, ethically, morally and professionally. ‘No, I am sorry, I just can’t let you do this,’ is probably the easiest way for a parent to protect his or her child…. For the doctor, it is just as easy to say to a parent who has requested their child be circumcised, ‘We don’t do them any more. Our license to practice medicine and our malpractice insurance precludes physicians from amputating pa
