Circumcision Debate "Complex," U.S. News Blog Says

Deborah Kotz writes in the U.S. News & World Report blog "On Women" that the debate surrounding whether CDC will recommend newborn male circumcision as part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV is "complex." According to the blog, "Circumcision is not just a medical procedure but a religious and cultural one," and "[i]n terms of the science, it's not clear how much circumcision will protect American men from being infected with HIV, where the virus is largely transmitted through homosexual contact." In addition, there is "potential here for the spreading of misinformation," she writes, concluding, "... CDC folks will have to evaluate the latest research carefully before deciding to take a cultural practice and turn it into a public health mission" (8/31).

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