Van Howe RS, Frisch M, Adler PW, Svoboda JS. Circumcision registry promotes precise research and fosters informed parental decisions.
BMC Med Ethics 2019;
20:6. [PMID:
30626392 PMCID:
PMC6327488 DOI:
10.1186/s12910-018-0337-7]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
In 2017 Ploug and Holm argued that anonymizing individuals in the Danish circumcision registry was insufficient to protect these individuals from what they regard as the potential harms of being in the registry (overreaching social pressure, stigmatization, medicalization of a religious practice, discrimination and promoting polarized research).
DISCUSSION
We argue that Ploug and Holm's fears in each of the areas are misguided, not supported by the evidence, and could interfere with the gathering of accurate data. The extent of the risks and harms associated with ritual circumcision is not well known. The anonymized personal health data supplemented with the circumcision registry will enable more precise research into the medical consequences of ritual circumcision, and allow parents to make more fully informed decisions about circumcision with minimal, if any, adverse consequences.
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