Australia has seen a decrease in circumcision rates over the last 70 years or so. Back in the 1950s, roughly 80 per cent of Australian men and boys were circumcised. That rate has steadily decreased and now, around 20 per cent of Australian newborns are circumcised.
Because the foreskin protects part of the penis, circumcision is not routinely done on newborn boys in Australia unless there is a medical reason. Most doctors don't recommend circumcision.
In the West, only about 30-40% of baby boys are circumcised, while in the Midwest, it's 70-75% ~ a HUGE difference. Likewise, Caucasian babies are circumcised more often than African Americans and twice as often as Latinos.
The Royal Australasian College says routine infant circumcision is not warranted in Australia or New Zealand; but it also recognises the procedure continues as a religious or cultural ritual.
From 1920-1970, circumcision was actively promoted in Australia. Most boys born in Australia around 1950 were circumcised. Since then, there has been a big move away from circumcision. Now less than 20% of Australian boys are circumcised.
Australia has seen a decrease in circumcision rates over the last 70 years or so. Back in the 1950s, roughly 80 per cent of Australian men and boys were circumcised. That rate has steadily decreased and now, around 20 per cent of Australian newborns are circumcised.
Present. Rates vary widely, from over 90% in Israel and many Muslim-majority countries, 86.3% in South Korea, to 80% in the United States, to 58% in Australia, to 45% in South Africa, to 20.7% in the United Kingdom, to under 1% in Japan and Honduras.
The new study finds that prevalence of infant circumcision in modern times has dropped to 77% – a figure described as “an alarming decrease” in an accompanying news release. Circumcision rates in adult men, though, have risen.
Unlike in Europe - where rates are low, and circumcision is mostly confined to the Jewish and Muslim communities - circumcision is one of the most common operations in the US. Three-quarters of American adult men are circumcised. There are over one million procedures each year, or around one every 30 seconds.
Cost of a Circumcision
The price for a circumcision procedure starts from $450 'out of pocket' with Medicare. Your Medicare rebate can be obtained via your myGov account. If your baby does not have a Medicare card, a circumcision starts at $668.
Will Medicare or private health insurance cover the cost of circumcision? You can claim a Medicare rebate only if there's a medical reason for your child's circumcision. The rebate will cover a portion of the total cost. If you have private health insurance, you may be able to claim the costs involved in circumcision.
The possible medical benefits of circumcision include: A lower risk of HIV. A slightly lower risk of other sexually transmitted diseases. A slightly lower risk of urinary tract infections and penile cancer.
Circumcision can be done at any age. Traditionally, the most common time to do it is soon after your baby is born, or within the first month of life. Because the process is painful, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area and the surgery is performed while the baby is still awake.
Circumcision reduces the bacteria that can live under the foreskin. This includes bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections or, in adults, STIs. Circumcised infants appear to have less risk of urinary tract infections than uncircumcised infants during the first year of life.
In the United States, most boys are circumcised for religious or social reasons. At present, there is discussion over whether circumcision is advisable from a medical standpoint. There are potential medical benefits to circumcision as well as risks.
By not circumcising, you'll give your son a gentle beginning, help get breastfeeding off to a good start, protect him from unnecessary pain and surgical risk, and reduce your own stress in the postpartum period.
Although opponents argue that infant circumcision can cause both physical and psychological harm, recent strong evidence shows that circumcision is medically beneficial. If competently performed, it carries little risk.
Roman Catholic Church
Pope Pius XII taught that circumcision is only "[morally] permissible if, in accordance with therapeutic principles, it prevents a disease that cannot be countered in any other way."
However, in China, MC is not a common practice; less than 5% males are circumcised and many of these procedures were carried to alleviate medical complaints such as tight foreskin [12].
In China, the nation with the largest population in the world, circumcision is generally treated as a selective medical intervention to treat some diseases; only 2.66% of males have been circumcised, and EIMC is not a traditional practice, except among Muslims, who account for < 3% of the population [14].
In Japan, routine male circumcision has never been implemented for newborns and children, and adult males are mostly circumcised at aesthetic clinics.
Conclusion: The highest-quality studies suggest that medical male circumcision has no adverse effect on sexual function, sensitivity, sexual sensation, or satisfaction.
But if parents choose this for their baby, the procedure is usually performed on the first or second day after birth in a healthy baby. However, it can be done within 10 days of birth. Circumcision is riskier and more complicated in infants older than 2 months of age, and in older boys and men.