Fox, M, Thomson, M and Warburton, J (2019) Non‐therapeutic male genital cutting and harm: Law, policy and evidence from U.K. hospitals. Bioethics, 33 (4). pp. 467-474. ISSN 0269-9702
Abstract
Female genital cutting (FGC) is generally understood as a gendered harm, abusive cultural practice and human rights violation. By contrast, male genital cutting (MGC) is held to be minimally invasive, an expression of religious identity and a legitimate parental choice. Yet scholars increasingly problematize this dichotomy, arguing that male and female genital cutting can occasion comparable levels of harm. In 2015 this academic critique received judicial endorsement, with Sir James Munby's acknowledgement that all genital cutting can cause ‘significant harm’. This article investigates the harm occasioned by MGC. It is informed by a Freedom of Information (FoI) study which provides some empirical evidence of the nature and frequency of physical harm caused by MGC in U.K. hospitals. While acknowledging the challenges and limitations of FoI research, we outline important lessons that this preliminary study contains for medical ethics, law and policy. It provides some empirical evidence to support claims regarding the risks which accompany the procedure and the obligation of health professionals to disclose them, and reveals the paucity of measures in place to ensure that harms are recorded, disclosed and monitored.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Fox, M, Thomson, M, Warburton, J. Non‐therapeutic male genital cutting and harm: Law, policy and evidence from U.K. hospitals. Bioethics. 2019; 33: 467– 474. , which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12542. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | children; circumcision; consent; Freedom of Information; genital cutting; harm; hospital records |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Law (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 19 Nov 2018 15:16 |
Last Modified: | 04 Dec 2020 01:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/bioe.12542 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:138763 |