# Circumcision

**Should we circumcise our son?**

Whether to have a baby boy's foreskin removed in the newborn period, or to leave it and let him decide later. Here it is treated as a medical and personal decision.

In short: Parents choose between 3 main approaches: Circumcise in the newborn period; Decide after medical counseling; Leave intact, let the child decide later. Evidence: experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. Best settled: during pregnancy.

- Area: Newborn medical choices
- Evidence: Experts disagree
- Best settled: During pregnancy
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/newborn-medical-choices--circumcision

## Circumcision: what are the options?

1. **Circumcise in the newborn period**: The baby is circumcised in the first days or weeks.
2. **Decide after medical counseling**: You talk it through with your doctor before choosing.
3. **Leave intact, let the child decide later**: The baby is not circumcised, and can choose for himself when older.

## Circumcision: what does the evidence say?

**Experts disagree.** Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. (Contested between bodies; values in practice)

The AAP's parent page (updated October 2025) still says the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks, describes complications as rare and usually minor, stresses that it is painful and should be done with numbing, and frames the decision as the parents'. The 2012 policy statement behind it is reported by several sources, some critics of circumcision, to have lapsed in 2017 without being reaffirmed; that was not confirmed from the AAP itself. CPS (2015): not recommended routinely

Sources:

- [HealthyChildren.org](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/Circumcision.aspx)
- [CPS](https://academic.oup.com/pch/article/20/6/311/2647311)

## What else is worth knowing?

Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin from the penis. It is done for religious, cultural, medical and personal reasons, and medical bodies in different countries take different positions. It is usually done in the first days of life, with pain relief.

## Questions to ask each other

- What are each of our views and where do they come from?
- What would we want to ask our provider before deciding?
- If we had a boy, how would we handle it if we disagreed?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=newborn-medical-choices&topic=newborn-medical-choices--circumcision