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20/8/2001 - BOTCHED CIRCUMCISION CASE IS "THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG"
For immediate release 20th August 2001

NORM-UK, the charity concerned with advising on alternatives to circumcision and the importance of conserving the foreskin, has today condemned the actions of two doctors who are currently answering charges before the General Medical Council (GMC).

One of the accused, Dr Michael Harbinson, a strong proponent for circumcision, is now under investigation by the GMC for pressuring parents into circumcision of their sons where alternative medical management of their cases would have been possible without the need to amputate their foreskins. These alternatives were never offered to the parents. We understand there was continued pressure placed on the parent to circumcise the child despite the parent stating that they did not want their son to be circumcised. Informed consent was not a priority. Dr Harbinson also appears to have bypassed the normal arrangements for referral of patients choosing instead to refer the patients to his friend, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Mr Peter Silverstone, someone who has previously undertaken to perform circumcisions for the former.

Mr Silverstone allegedly botched the operations. He performed them without adequate anaesthesia and a complaint was made when the mother of one of the boys heard their child screaming in agony. One boy was sent home bleeding and later required further treatment. NORM-UK has many cases of inappropriate circumcision of boys brought to our attention. Several studies have shown that two-thirds of medical circumcisions performed in Britain are unnecessary - a fact that has triggered the concern of the House of Commons Health Committee.

It is government policy that surgery should only be performed when clinically indicated, particularly in children. The GMC has previously stated that doctors who decide to circumcise a male child should have the necessary skills and experience to eradicate the pain and discomfort, and that they should keep up to date with the procedure, including when it is not necessary for medical reasons. The British Medical Association (BMA) have stated that to circumcise for medical reasons when research has shown conservative treatment to be safe and effective would be unethical and inappropriate.

NORM-UK Chairman Dr John Warren said "The foreskin is an important part of the sexual apparatus having several important functions for the male and it is a breach of the patient's human rights to remove it unnecessarily". While NORM-UK cannot comment on these individual cases while the hearing continues, we would like to make it clear that many cases of inappropriate circumcision of boys come to our attention. Circumcision is rarely necessary in boys under 5 years, and when it is necessary it should be performed by a paediatric surgeon in a hospital setting with adequate pain control. We believe this case is just the tip of the iceberg as there are many other examples of substandard practice in relation to circumcisions of boys.

This news comes days after reports from Sydney that a doctor was "struck off" after performing circumcisions in which he flagrantly ignored conditions for the surgery which had been imposed on him.
Also, the Swedish Parliament recently passed a new law to protect the rights of children by regulating non-medical male circumcision. Sweden's is the first law in modern times to regulate and restrict the practice of male circumcision.
Ends

For further information or an interview, please contact
Dr. John Warren (Chairman) 01279 419704
chairman@norm-uk.org
Shelton Kartun (Press Officer) 07970 407398
shelton.kartun@norm-uk.org
John Dalton (Researcher) 01946 813771
john.dalton@norm-uk.org