Argument: Neonatal circumcision violates right to avoid inflicted pain

Support

Somerville, Margaret (November 2000). “Altering Baby Boys’ Bodies: The Ethics of Infant Male Circumcision”. 2000. – “People have a fundamental human right not to have pain intentionally inflicted on them and, where pain is unavoidable, to have fully adequate treatment for the relief of that pain. These people include babies and children. Breach of this fundamental human right should be regarded as very serious wrongdoing. Recent medical research, people’s own observations and our own experience and common sense show that circumcision is an intensely painful procedure. It is therefore in violation of human rights unless it can be justified in particular cases.”