Opposition to routine male circumcision is increasing.

As of October 16, 2011, two new states joined in eliminating Medicaid insurance for male circumcision. Along with possible ballot initiatives to ban the procedure and the long-awaited policy statement by American Academy of Pediatrics, a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that there is a need to evaluate the risks and benefits of the procedure.

Opponents of the practice claim that the procedure is genital mutilation and is performed based on parental consent rather than on the infant's consent. They recommend that male circumcision be revisited at 18 years of age when a man can provide individual informed consent. Proponents argue that male circumcision has been shown to reduce the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection as well as other heterosexually acquired sexually transmitted diseases.

According to the journal commentary, parents should be provided with evidence-based information about the risks and benefits of the operation in order to make a fully informed choice for the infant.

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, October 5, 2011.)