Situating parents’ circumcision decision-making within health research, knowledge, and experience

Abstract

This research analyses the narratives of 33 parents in the United States concerning their decisions to circumcise or not circumcise their children. The United States differs from other nations in the Global North due to its comparatively high rates of male neonatal circumcision, a procedure that is performed as preventative surgery, rather than for cultural or religious indications. However, in recent years, rates of circumcision have begun to decline. This study sought to gain a nuanced understanding of these trends by examining the factors that influenced the parents in our sample. The results show that parents' circumcision decisions were affected by their evaluations of the procedure's medical risks and benefits, their considerations of the relationship between being circumcised, hygiene, and health, as well as their interactions with healthcare providers. Also relevant to their decision were their experiences circumcising previous children. Interviews with five key informants, including medical providers and trained childbirth assistants, offer further context to findings regarding the sometimes-unequal power dynamics between providers and parents. The results in this study also raise questions about the extent of informed consent for this procedure. Overall, the findings in this research offer valuable insights into parents' decision-making processes about male circumcision.