Infant circumcision - a nurse's perspective

[mje1986]

Originally Posted by intact

Pain is temporary, body part chopped off is permanent?

That's certainly a good point. But I'm more making the point that the issue of anesthesia during circumcision doesn't seem to be discussed with most parents prior to the procedure - which the vast majority of parents are NOT PRESENT FOR. They never see their sons strapped to the table, screaming in pain while they're being mutilated.

One of the most important roles of the nurse is to educate clients and make sure they fully understand all the implications, risks, benefits, etc., of any procedure or medication. Doctors certainly share that responsibility, but in many situations the nurse is the one who spends more time with the client and ends up fielding more of the questions.

The doctor who did the circumcision I watched told me that the parents of the infant went through four doctors before finding him, because they wanted someone who would use a penile nerve block during the procedure. The other four doctors all refused to use anything more than the sugar solution.

Isn't it sad that these parents, who still made the regrettable decision to have their son circumcised, showed a *more than average* level of awareness about the issues surrounding infant circumcision by insisting that their son have a nerve block? That's a sad commentary on the level of awareness most parents have when making this decision. Most parents don't even have the knowledge to ask about anesthesia.

I have the feeling that without even touching on the known long-term negative effects of circumcision, many more parents would choose to leave their sons intact just from knowing how barbaric the procedure is.