American Academy of Pediatrics

A Bill to End

Male Genital Mutilation

in the U.S.

Medical ethicists now generally agree that the AAP's current policy on circumcision discriminates against males. MGMbill.org urges the AAP Committee on Bioethics to eliminate this gender discrimination by updating the AAP Male Circumcision Policy Statement to read as follows (PDF), replacing "MGMbill.org" with "American Academy of Pediatrics" or "AAP":

Male Circumcision Policy Statement	Female Genital Mutilation Policy Statement *
"Male circumcision is a common procedure, generally performed during the newborn period in the United States. In 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) formed a multidisciplinary task force of AAP members and other stakeholders to evaluate the recent evidence on male circumcision and update the Academy’s 1999 recommendations in this area. Evaluation of current evidence indicates that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it. Specific benefits identified included prevention of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and transmission of some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has endorsed this statement."	"The traditional custom of ritual cutting and alteration of the genitalia of female infants, girls, and adolescents, referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM), persists primarily in Africa and among certain communities in the Middle East and Asia. Immigrants in the United States from areas where FGM is endemic may have daughters who have undergone a ritual genital procedure or may request that such a procedure be performed by a physician. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes that pediatricians and pediatric surgical specialists should be aware that this practice has serious, life-threatening health risks for children and women. The AAP opposes all forms of FGM, counsels its members not to perform such ritual procedures, and encourages the development of community educational programs for immigrant populations." * An April 2010 revision to this statement (which called for legalization of Type IV FGM) was retracted by the AAP after a storm of public protest.

Male Circumcision Policy Statement

Female Genital Mutilation Policy Statement *

"Male circumcision is a common procedure, generally performed during the newborn period in the United States. In 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) formed a multidisciplinary task force of AAP members and other stakeholders to evaluate the recent evidence on male circumcision and update the Academy’s 1999 recommendations in this area. Evaluation of current evidence indicates that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it. Specific benefits identified included prevention of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and transmission of some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has endorsed this statement."

"The traditional custom of ritual cutting and alteration of the genitalia of female infants, girls, and adolescents, referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM), persists primarily in Africa and among certain communities in the Middle East and Asia. Immigrants in the United States from areas where FGM is endemic may have daughters who have undergone a ritual genital procedure or may request that such a procedure be performed by a physician. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes that pediatricians and pediatric surgical specialists should be aware that this practice has serious, life-threatening health risks for children and women. The AAP opposes all forms of FGM, counsels its members not to perform such ritual procedures, and encourages the development of community educational programs for immigrant populations."

* An April 2010 revision to this statement (which called for legalization of Type IV FGM) was retracted by the AAP after a storm of public protest.

Until recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) was the generally recognized medical authority on male circumcision in the USA. That role is now being shared with other health and human rights groups who are working on behalf of male infants and children to protect them from the sexually and emotionally damaging practice of genital cutting.

The AAP advises in its 2012 Male Circumcision Policy Statement and Male Circumcision Technical Report that the health benefits of infant male circumcision outweigh the risks. That policy contrasts sharply with the AAP's Female Genital Mutilation Policy Statement, which strongly opposes all forms of female circumcision:

American Academy of Pediatrics