Steven Svoboda, of Attorneys for the Rights of the Child has announced a new guide to the rights of parents and recently-turned-18 adults to pursue legal recourse for wrongful or injurious circumcisions.
According to the guide, one may bring a circumcsision-related lawsuit in the following circumcstances:
- The parent of a minor if complications resulted from a poorly performed circumcision.
- The parent of a minor if the minor was circumcised without the parent’s consent.
- The parent of a minor if there was a lack of informed consent or if consent was obtainedinappropriately.
- In some states, the individual who was circumcised as a child, after he is legally an adult (usually the age of 18).
Further, the guide says this about informed consent:
- Informed consent is a patient’s knowing agreement to a procedure, made with full knowledge of the risks involved, the harms of the procedure, and any alternatives to the procedure, including the alternative of non-intervention, i.e., leaving the baby “intact.”
- Babies, of course, are too young to understand medical information or to consent to a medical procedure. Many lawyers believe that parents or guardians do not have the legal power to “consent” to the amputation of their child’s normal body part, nor to put their child through unnecessary surgery. Therefore, barring the presence of a medical emergency, no one had the right to amputate a part of your penis. The law is gradually evolving to incorporate these principles. Meanwhile, you may be able to bring a lawsuit with regard to your circumcision.
And, a cautionary note to those involved in the procedure: the rights guide says that physicians, nurses, and hospitals where circumcision is performed may all be responsible for damages.
For more information, contact Attorneys for the Rights of the Child directly at (510) 464-4530 or by email to arc@post.harvard.edu.
See also:
Circumcision Harm Survey Launched
New Study: Male Circumcision And Sexual Difficulties for Men and Female Partners
Circumcision: an Elephant in the Hospital (university lecture video on youtube)
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