Infant Ear Piercing

This petition will make circumcision a misdemeanor if performed on boys under age 18, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to a year in jail. A similar effort is under way in Santa Monica, supported by the San Diego-based MGM, which has prepared anti-circumcision legislation in 46 states.

Some say you must draw the line on parents' rights to make decisions for their children at "bodily mutilation." If that is the case, then they should consider another very common and usually harmless procedure, often performed on infant females: ear-piercing. About 20% of baby girls suffer minor complications from ear piercing; about 3% suffer major ones. Complications include swelling, drainage, infection, bleeding, cyst formation, large scars and trauma. Surely such piercing should be banned before anyone bans circumcision.

Opponents of circumcision argue that "damage ranges from excruciating pain, nerve destruction, loss of normal, natural, and functional tissue, infection, disfigurement and sometimes death." Matthew Hess, founder and leader of MGM Bill, holds that "freedom of religion stops at another person's body." Likewise, anti-circumcision activist Jena Troutman says "I am just a mom trying to save the little babies."

But the rate of complications resulting from circumcision is lower than ear piercing, between 0.2% and 0.6%, with some bleeding as the most frequent complication. Studies, such as one at the University of Washington, have indicated that circumcision might have health benefits. It helps prevent HIV infection somewhat in heterosexual intercourse (although using condoms results in similar gains).

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics counsels in its policy statement that the data are not sufficient enough to recommend routine neonatal circumcision, it reports that some studies suggest circumcision lowers the risk of STDs. Studies also indicate it decreases the risk of urinary tract infections, particularly within the first six months of life.