Non-Therapeutic Infant Circumcision

Non-therapeutic infant circumcision is the surgical removal of healthy foreskin from a male infant, often shortly after birth, for the purpose of achieving potential future medical benefits. Today, in 2025, the practice is common the United States but not as common in other Western industrialized countries. Though circumcision itself is an ancient cultural practice, doctors began performing circumcision for medical purposes only in the nineteenth century, and primarily in English-speaking countries. Orthopedic surgeon Lewis Sayre, who practiced medicine in New York City, New York, in the late nineteenth century popularized circumcision as a treatment for conditions such as muscle paralysis. Sayre‚'s ideas eventually fell out of favor, but doctors increasingly identified other reasons to perform the procedure, including the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections, and cancer. As of 2025, doctors, parents, ethicists, and others continue to debate the medical value of circumcision as well as the ethics of operating on the healthy genitals of people who cannot consent.