Another amputation
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WTNH.com Lawsuit claims circumcision botched
(Stamford-AP, Mar. 23, 2005 1:35 PM) A lawsuit has been filed against a
Bridgeport doctor, claiming he botched a circumcision and partially
amputated a nine-month-old boy's penis.
The suit seeks unspecified damages from Dr. Daniel Gottschall, who
performed the surgery last June at Saint Vincent's Hospital. The lawsuit
against names his medical and surgical group, Alliance for Women's Health.
Immediately after his injury, the boy was transferred to Yale-New Haven
Hospital for surgical repair of his condition.
Telephone messages have been left for Gottschall and hospital officials.
The suit alleges the boy's injuries were caused by Gottschall's failure to
exercise the proper care and skill employed by physicians specializing in
the procedure.
AP Connecticut Monday, March 28, 2005
Lawsuit claims circumcision botched
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
Associated Press Writer
March 23, 2005, 5:31 PM EST
STAMFORD, Conn. -- An Oxford couple on Wednesday sued a doctor who they
say partially amputated their son's penis during a circumcision at St.
Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport.
...
"We are bringing this case because we already know this baby has
suffered a horrible, life-altering physical injury, but we are still
learning about the long term ramifications of the injury," said Ernest
Teitell, one of the boy's attorneys. "What happened will profoundly
affect him as he grows older."
...
Robin Biondo, the boy's mother, said Dr. Daniel S. Gottschall cut off 40
percent of the tip of her son's penis.
...
Gottschall said he has performed more than 1,000 circumcisions without a
problem.
"There was a slight tip that was removed, recognized and repaired,"
Gottschall said. "We believe there was a congenital deformity of the
penis that made the injury more likely. Because of my diligence, the boy
had the repair that was necessary."
...
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With friends like this...
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IRIN.org Female circumcision is a vote winner
FREETOWN [Sierra Leone], 17 Mar 2005 (IRIN) - When the
president's wife sponsors the circumcision of 1,500
young girls to win votes for her husband, you know
you've got a problem persuading ordinary people and
the government that female genital mutilation (FGM) is
a bad idea.
And when the woman who is now Minister of Social
Welfare, Gender and Women's Affairs, threatens to "sew
up the mouths" of those who preach against FGM, you
realise that you are facing a really big uphill
struggle.
But that has not dissuaded Olayinka Koso-Thomas, a
gynaecologist in Sierra Leone, from campaigning
against the practice for 30 years, ignoring death
threats and angry protestors storming her clinic.
... |
Close to The Tipping Point...
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UPI US Circumcision Rate Falls
text
The U.S. circumcision rate declined 11.4 percent over two years,
says the National Center for Health Statistics. It dropped from
63.1 percent in 2001 to 55.9 percent in 2003. There has been a
slow, steady decline in the procedure, which involves the surgical
removal of the foreskin of the penis, over the past 25 years.
"Medicalized, mass circumcision of infants is a uniquely
English-speaking phenomenon," says Dan Bollinger of the
International Coalition for Genital Integrity, an
anti-circumcision advocacy group based in West Lafayette, Ind. He
says Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom
formerly circumcised the majority of infant boys, but have either
abandoned the practice or reduced the rate."
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When they say it's not the money....
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The Windsor Star (Ontario) Circumcisions spark debate
Local rate four times national average; MD says
doctors may be in it for the money
Doug Williamson
Call it a money grab by doctors or a sign of the
cultural times.
For new parents Michael and Susan Levesque,
Windsor's fixation with circumcising its newborns is
simply a matter of doing what their ancestors did.
"We just decided to go with it, based on tradition,"
said Michael, whose son Owen was born Feb. 1. "I
was, 'So why not?'"
Just over 50 per cent of the boys born at Windsor
Regional Hospital last year were circumcised, well
above the national average of 13.9 per cent. The
average in Ontario was 16 per cent.
Dr. Tony Hammer, a Windsor family doctor, said his
colleagues may be performing the medically
unnecessary procedure simply to make a buck. Hammer
is critical of a procedure which is also not
recommended by the Canadian Paediatric Society .
"There is a financial incentive for physicians, and
I wonder if they are fully informing their patients
of a lack of medical need," said Hammer.
Obstetricians and the hospital split a $200 fee for
each procedure, which is not covered by OHIP.
The head of obstetrics at Windsor Regional couldn't
be reached, but a hospital spokesman said all
circumcisions are done at parents' request, and
rejected Hammer's statement.
"That comment is appalling. In no way do we promote
it," said David Musyj, vice-president of corporate
services and medical affairs. "In no way do they do
it for the money."
He also said the rate charged in Windsor is equal to
and in some cases lower than those charged in other
hospitals. Circumcision is the surgical removal of
the foreskin of the penis.
Last year, there were 4,400 births at Windsor
Regional and nearly 50 per cent were boys. Of those,
1,080 circumcisions were performed, representing 51
per cent, hospital officials said.
Jewish and Muslim rites dictate it is done on the
eighth day after birth.
According to the Montreal-based Association for
Genital Integrity, the Canadian average in 2003 was
13.9 per cent, and 16 per cent in Ontario. Leading
the charge was Prince Edward Island at 29.5 per
cent, the association said, citing figures from
Statistics Canada.
Musyj said the hospital's share of the more than
$200,000 charged for circumcisions last year was for
supplies, attending nurses and other hospital costs.
Hammer said he regularly advises his pregnant
patients not to have the procedure done, but
acknowledged some do anyway.
He and Musyj agreed that Jews and Muslims, for
example, require the procedure as a matter of
religion, and others are doing it just because their
parents did. Muslims represent one of Windsor's
fastest growing ethnic populations.
In the case of the Levesques, "We didn't really look
into the pros and cons," said Michael, although the
couple feel that personal sanitation is improved
with circumcised males.
"I just felt that guys are lazy, so I wouldn't have
him go through that."
Kim and Stavros Kourtsidis of Windsor also decided
to circumcise their son Joshua, who was born March
7, because his older brother had undergone the
procedure.
"It's cleanliness," Kim said Friday.
But opponents argue there are more medical
complications associated with circumcision, than not
doing it.
"I don't think physicians are educating patients
about the lack of medical need for it. In the
majority of cases it is cosmetic," Hammer said.
Dr. Danielle Grenier, of the Canadian Paediatric
Society, said the number of procedures is declining
in Canada.
"There is no medical indication to have newborn boys
circumcised," she said. "There are no advantages to
doing it. And with any procedure, there's always a
risk.
"It's a painful procedure," she added.
In most cases a local anesthetic is used, and there
can also be reaction to medications. "You never know
how much you are cutting or how much you are
leaving," she added.
"Parent pressure, most of the time," is the reason
it is still being done, she said.
The risks may be small but they are there, Hammer
said. "They do exist. When they occur, one can argue
they were avoidable.
"Any ethical physician refers to the recommendations
of the Canadian Paediatric Society," he said.
Musyj said Windsor's "multicultural" population
partly accounts for the high local rate, as well as
local tradition.
"Windsor being the community it is, I think that has
a lot to do with it," he said of the tradition of
circumcising boys. Musyj said most parents know the
sex of their child well before delivery, and usually
have enough time to decide on the procedure. It is
done before the baby goes home.
Grenier of the pediatric society said a lot of
information is available on the subject.
"Heaven knows what has been published over a little
piece of skin," she said.
------
According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, of
every 1,000 boys who are circumcised:
- 20 to 30 will have a surgical complication, such
as too much bleeding or infection in the area.
- Two to three will have a more serious complication
that needs more treatment. Examples include having
too much skin removed or more serious bleeding.
- Two will be admitted to hospital for a urinary
tract infection before they are one year old.
- 10 babies may need to have the circumcision done
again because of a poor result.
Of every 1,000 boys who are not circumcised, seven
will be admitted to hospital for a urinary tract
infection before they are one year old. [That's fewer than one in 100]
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"Only women are subjected to genital mutilation." Yeah, right.
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L. A. Times Court Eases Asylum Rule for Genital Mutilation
Expanding an earlier decision, an appellate panel says the procedure
constitutes persecution and makes a woman automatically eligible.
By Henry Weinstein Times Staff Writer
A woman who has been subjected to genital mutilation is automatically
eligible for asylum in the United States, the federal appeals court in San
Francisco ruled Thursday. ...
The appeals court rejected the argument by government attorneys that
female genital mutilation on its own cannot be a basis for a claim of past
persecution because it is "widely accepted and widely practiced."
"The fact that persecution is widespread" does not make "a particular
asylum claim less compelling," the court said in a 3-0 ruling, adding that
a woman who has been forced to undergo the procedure has suffered a
"continuing harm."
The 9th Circuit acted in a case filed by Khadija Mohamed, a young woman
from Somalia. According to a State Department report, "virtually all"
women in that country are subjected to one of several forms of genital
mutilation. Court records indicated that Mohamed's clitoris had been
surgically removed.
Forms of genital mutilation are common as coming-of-age rituals [but often on very young girls] in more than two dozen nations in Africa and some in Asia, the Middle East and
Latin America.
Since 1996, the U.S. government has recognized female genital mutilation
as a form of "persecution" that could entitle a woman to political asylum
in at least some cases. For example, women have been able to win asylum by
proving that refusing to have the procedure would open them to
retaliation.
The current ruling, however, breaks ground in saying genital mutilation is
enough to allow an asylum claim to go forward because the procedure,
itself, is a form of continuing persecution.
"Like forced sterilization, genital mutilation permanently disfigures a
woman, causes long-term health problems and deprives her of a normal and
fulfilling sexual life," Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote for the court. ...
Stephen Knight, coordinating attorney at the Center for Gender and Refugee
Studies at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, said the
ruling broke new ground. "No circuit court has held until now that genital
cutting represented 'continuing harm,' " he said.
The ruling could aid hundreds of women, but would not "open the
floodgates," Knight said. Though genital mutilation is widespread, few of
the women involved "have the wherewithal to get to the U.S.," he said.
His center has records of about 380 asylum cases involving female genital
mutilation in the last six years, but no definitive figures exist, he
said.
The court also said a woman would not need to prove that she was part of a
particular ethnic or tribal group that was persecuted.
Because only women are subjected to genital mutilation [ ! ], Mohamed could base
her asylum claim on being part of a broader group of persecuted people -
the "social group comprised of Somalian females" - the decision said.
That ruling could apply to other situations, Knight noted. Mohamed's
family fled Somalia after her father and brother disappeared during its
continuing civil war. She lived in Ethiopia until four years ago when a
woman there helped her get to the United States. At that point she was 17.
Mohamed previously was denied asylum by a federal immigration judge and
the Board of Immigration Appeals.
In overturning that decision, the judges described female genital
mutilation in detail, noting that it involved "the cutting and removal of
all or some of a woman's external genitalia." The decision noted that the
procedure is "extremely painful," and "often performed under unsanitary
conditions with rudimentary instruments."
Under the court's decision, Mohamed will now be able to go back for a new
asylum hearing ...
|
To lose one son is a tragedy, to lose two ...
|
New Kerala online news Nepal child dies after ritual circumcision
[World News]: KATHMANDU, Nepal, Feb. 11 : A
5-year-old boy has died in Nepal, and his
7-year-old brother is in serious condition, after
both were circumcised as part of a religious
tradition.
Muyoddin Khan died from loss of blood Thursday after
undergoing a ritual circumcision in the town of
Indrapur, the Nepali Web site Kantipur Online reported
Friday.
His brother Santalat was hospitalized due to excess
bleeding after the operation was performed. Doctors
said he was in serious condition.
"We carried out circumcision on the boys as part of
our religion, but the bleeding did not stop," said
Rahamadtulla, the boys' father. His eldest son died
under similar circumstances five years ago, and the
father said his 7-month-old son will also have to
undergo the procedure.
"I can't go against our religion, although I've lost
two of my sons," the report quoted Rahamadtulla as
saying.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
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Baby's death prompts questioning of custom
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PR Web press releases | |
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Jewish Groups Say it's Time to Stop Circumcising Boys
The recent death of a baby boy in New York City has prompted some Jewish groups to call for an end to the practice of male circumcision. City investigators believe the boy died after contracting herpes from an infected mohel who sucked the blood from the baby's circumcision wound. Two other boys circumcised by the mohel have also contracted herpes, including the dead boy's twin brother. San Diego, CA (PRWEB) February 9, 2005 -- The recent death of a baby boy in New York City has prompted some Jewish groups to call for an end to the practice of male circumcision. City investigators believe the boy died after contracting herpes from an infected mohel who sucked the blood from the baby's circumcision wound. Two other boys circumcised by the mohel have also contracted herpes, including the dead boy's twin brother.
|
|
| New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com/ | |
| Fear rabbi gave tots herpes By MAGGIE HABERMAN DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Wednesday, February 2nd, 2005 City health officials are investigating whether a baby boy died after contracting herpes from the rabbi who circumcised him, the Daily News has learned. The probe was launched after city officials realized that three infants in the city who tested positive for herpes last year all were circumcised by Rabbi Yitzchok Fischer. The Rockland County-based Fischer is a prominent mohel - someone who performs religious circumcisions. Under Jewish law, a mohel is supposed to draw blood from the circumcision wound to remove impurities. While many mohels do it by hand, Fischer uses a practice little known outside ultra-Orthodox communities called metzizah bi peh, in which the mohel uses his mouth. On Oct. 16, 2004, Fischer performed a bris, or religious circumcision, on twins. Ten days later, one infant died of herpes, and the other tested positive for the virus, according to papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by city lawyers. A few weeks later, city Health Department officials found a third baby, on Staten Island, who also tested positive for herpes after being circumcised by Fischer in late 2003, the papers say. Herpes is far more dangerous to infants than adults because of babies' fragile immune systems. The health status of the two surviving boys was not clear yesterday. The city "is concerned that the possible transmission of herpes simplex virus type 1 in infants may be continuing as a result of defendant's practice of metzizah bi peh," city lawyers wrote in the complaint, dated Dec. 22. "Defendant's conduct to date constitutes a threat to the public health." The custom of metzizah is thousands of years old. But experts said that these days, many mohels breathe in through a sterile tube to draw the blood instead of using their mouths directly on the wound, although in some ultra-Orthodox sects, the oral practice is mandatory. The city asked Fischer to submit to a blood test in November, and ordered him to stop performing metzizah by mouth while waiting for the results, court papers show. Officials told him to use a sterile tube and gloves in the meantime. But the Health Department got a report that Fischer wasn't following the order, so the city filed the legal complaint to compel him do so. Fischer, 66, declined to comment yesterday. His lawyer, Mark Kurzmann, wouldn't say whether Fischer has done the blood test, citing medical confidentiality. But he said Fischer is "cooperating with the city's investigation to resolve this matter." "My client is known internationally as a caring, skilled and conscientious mohel," Kurzmann said. He suggested the babies could have contracted herpes elsewhere. He also said there are concerns about the government regulating religious practices. City lawyers declined to comment. Health officials, aware of the sensitivity of the issue, have been talking extensively to community leaders. "There's been a constructive dialogue between the community and the Department of Health, and we're working with [them] to ensure the safety of all our city's children," said Arie Lipnic, spokesman for City Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn). Other case reports also exist, but the true frequency of metzizah bi peh and associated herpes and other infections could be much higher than we suspect. Distel, R., V. Hofer, et al. (2003). "Primary genital herpes simplex infection associated with Jewish ritual circumcision." Isr Med Assoc J 5(12): 893-4. Gesundheit, B., G. Grisaru-Soen, et al. (2004). "Neonatal genital herpes simplex virus type 1 infection after Jewish ritual circumcision: modern medicine and religious tradition." Pediatrics 114(2): e259-63. | |
Another medical association fails to support R.I.C.
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South African medical Association says no indication for Routine Infant Circumcision
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Calling them all off never seems to occur to anyone
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Saturday Star (South Africa) Initiates die in botched operations |
Kids, don't try this at home.
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CNN.com Young initiates kill circumcision nurse
Monday, January 3, 2005 Posted: 11:10 AM EST (1610 GMT)
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- A group of young South African men
taking part in coming of age rituals due to include circumcision turned on
their male nurse and killed him, an official said on Monday.
Sizwe Kupelo of the Eastern Cape provincial health department said the men
aged 18 to 25 beat the man to death with sticks at the site of their
initiation ceremonies in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
"He was attacked by about 20 initiates who assaulted him, and he later
died," Kupelo said.
He said the attack followed complaints by the men that they were not being
properly looked after during their initiation ceremonies, but did not
elaborate.
The nurse had been in charge of caring for the men ahead of their
circumcision.
No arrests have been made yet, Kupelo said.
A number of South African clans including the Ndebele, Sotho and Xhosa
send teenage boys and young men into the bush for up to eight weeks to
learn their clan's cultural and moral values and undergo coming of age
ceremonies, including circumcision.
In recent years, the practice of circumcision has come under scrutiny as
dozens of boys have been accidentally killed or mutilated by amateur
elders who have seized on the tradition as a way to make money.
Kupelo said in the Eastern Cape at least 10 young men had died during the
current initiation period, which began in December.
Chairman of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, Chief
Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, condemned the attack, which he said showed there
were "serious problems" around initiations.
Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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