Neonatal Seizures following Lidocaine Administration for Elective Circumcision

“We report a case of a 25-day old, former 34-week gestation male newborn who experienced neonatal seizures following administration of subcutaneous lidocaine for regional anesthesia during an elective circumcision prior to discharge.”

Full text here:  http://www.nature.com/jp/journal/v24/n6/full/7211123a.html

Circumcision: A Source of Jewish Pain

“Currently, circumcision is not universal among Jews either inside or outside the United States. The Circumcision Resource Center, a nonprofit educational organization, knows of hundreds of Jews in Europe, South America, and in the United States who either have not or would not circumcise a son. Even in Israel some Jews do not circumcise, and there is an organization that publicly opposes circumcision.³ The purpose of this article is to coherently explain a few of the contemporary reasons for the increasing doubts some Jews have about circumcision. Then I will apply Torah law and Jewish values to these reasons.”

Full essay here:  http://www.jewishcircumcision.org/spectator.htm

To Not Circumcise or to Not Circumcise; There is No Question.

http://mothering.com/all-things-mothering/health/to-not-circumcise-or-to-not-circumcise-there-is-no-question

Many Swedish doctors oppose circumcision

“Two out of three doctors surveyed in Sweden said they refuse to circumcise boys because they consider it assault without the child's consent, sources said.

The opposing doctors said they did not perform circumcisions unless the procedure was deemed medically necessary. Otherwise, they viewed the procedure as barbaric and akin to unnecessary female circumcision, said Gunnar Gothberg, chairman of the Swedish Pediatric Surgeons Association.”

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/07/25/Many-Swedish-doctors-oppose-circumcision/UPI-87341248545759/

Circumcision Rates Plummet: 2 Out of 3 Boys Escape the Knife

“The US male infant circumcision rate is now 32%, according to the CDC. This is great news for Intactivists and even better news for the more than one million boys who are now remaining intact every year. This means that their efforts have been successful in continuing the steady decline of an unnecessary surgery upon defenseless infants.”

http://www.icgi.org/2010/08/circumcision-rates-plummet-2-out-of-3-boys-escape-the-knife/

Top Norwegian doctor wants circumcision phased out

“Male circumcision could become a thing of the past in Norway. Professor Trond Markestad, head of the Norwegian Medical Association’s (NMA/Den Norske Legeforeningen) ethics committee, would like to see it replaced.

“It’s against important medical ethics and is unnecessary. There’s no medical reason for having it done, it’s painful for some days afterwards, and there’s a possibility of complications,” he tells The Foreigner.”

http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/top-norwegian-doctor-wants-circumcision-phased-out/

Neonatal Cortisol Response to Circumcision with Anesthesia

“Eleven male newborns were circumcised with a local dorsal penile nerve block, and 13 controls were circumcised without anesthetic. Matched pairs of pre- and postcircumcision cortisol levels in the two groups were compared. The adrenal cortisol response to surgery was not significantly reduced by the administration of lidocaine. Blood sampling and anesthetic injection of venipuncture alone did not evoke the adrenal response in uncircumcised control infants. Cortical input or secondary epinephrine elevation may be producing the cortisol elevation in infants despite regional blockage of the afferent nerve pathways.”

http://cpj.sagepub.com/content/25/8/412.abstract

Circumcision Quiz

“Take this quiz, and find out whether you believe the myths that far too many doctors believe, or whether you are an informed layperson or a foreskin-friendly physician who knows and understands the scientific facts about circumcision.”

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/DOC/circumcision_quiz.htm

Atlanta Lawyer Takes on Botched Circumcision Claims Nationwide

“Although the $10.7 million default judgment David J. Llewellyn of Johnson & Ward just scored may be tough to collect, the case is a dramatic statement about the Atlanta attorney's development of an unusual national practice: suing over botched circumcisions.

In the latest case, Llewellyn brought a suit on behalf of a boy and his parents against Mogen Circumcision Instruments, claiming one of its devices severed the head of the boy's penis during a bris, a Jewish ceremony for a male infant. The company failed to answer the suit, and Senior U.S. District Court Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York ruled the company owed the eight-figured sum.

"He's the expert in this field," said Llewellyn's New York co-counsel on the Mogen case, John L. Juliano, a personal injury and medical malpractice attorney in East Northport, NY. "I don't know many other people who handle these cases."

Llewellyn said he has sued doctors, hospitals and medical supply makers around the country for circumcision-related malpractice and personal injury during the past 15 years. He has won, lost and settled in the area, which he estimated is about half of his practice, with the other half a broader range of personal injury and malpractice litigation.”

Full article:  http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202464033969&Atlanta_Lawyer_Takes_on_Botched_Circumcision_Claims_Nationwide