Doctors campaign against ‘risky and painful’ circumcision of boys

The Dutch doctors federation KNMG has again called on ministers, MPs and human rights organisations to speak out against the practice of circumcising young boys.


Between 10,000 and 15,000 boys are circumcised in the Netherlands every year, often on religious grounds and without anaesthetics, the organisation says. This is against human rights.
The intervention is not without risk and is increasingly being seen as ‘not normal’, the organisation says.
It is not calling for an outright ban because of fears this would drive the practice underground and lead to more complications.
In particular, the KNMG says insurance companies should ask if they should be using public funds to pay for an unnecessary operation.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation