Circumcision
Definition
The surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis in a male or the prepuce of a clitoris in a female.
Purpose
In the United States, circumcision in infant boys is performed for social, medical, cultural, or religious reasons. Once a routine operation urged by pediatricians and obstetricians for newborns in the middle of the twentieth century, circumcision has become an elective option that parents make for their sons on an individual basis. Families who practice Judaism or Islam may select to have their sons circumcised as a religious practice. Others may elect circumcision for medical reasons.
Female circumcision (also known as female genital mutilation) is usually performed for cultural and social reasons by
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