Is this a medical right or a human rights issue?

Circumcision

            Traditionally, circumcision has been a rite of passage intended to initiate boys into adulthood. Although the procedure remains an important rite in many societies, it has gained attention in recent decades as a strategy for reducing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in males. The clinical significance of circumcision in preventive health has influenced ideas and opinions regarding the need to create systems and processes that facilitate safe access to circumcision services and care. However, controversies persist regarding whether circumcision is a medical right that should be given the same consideration as other preventive interventions such as cancer screening. The analysis of the impact of circumcision in health promotion and disease prevention demonstrates that circumcision is a medical right.

            According to the WHO (2017), the right to health encompasses the right to emergency, preventive and curative care. Circumcision qualifies as a preventive health care measure in that the key objective of the procedure is to reduce the risk of the circumcised person contracting HIV, other STIs and illnesses such as penile cancer. Circumcised males also enjoy reduced risks of urinary tract infection and penile inflammation. According to Morris, Krieger, and Klausner (2017), several studies have shown that the risk of HIV infection declines by between 50 and 60 percent in circumcised males. Furthermore, circumcised males have lower risks of contracting herpes simplex and human papillomavirus (HPV) in comparison to the uncircumcised males.

The procedure reduces the risk of HPV in men by 30 percent. HPV is a major risk factor in the development of penile cancer. According to Morris et al. (2011), about one in every 400 uncircumcised males is at risk of developing penile cancer. On the other hand, the chance of a circumcised man developing penile cancer in his lifetime is 1 in 50,000. These statistics demonstrate that penile cancer is highly prevalent in uncircumcised men in comparison to the circumcised ones. Therefore, circumcision is a medical right that should be granted to the individual alongside other measures for preventing the transmission of STIs. Health care providers and states have an obligation to facilitate the patient’s access to timely, quality and affordable circumcision services and the related care.  The procedure confers immediate and long-term protection against various clinical conditions.

            Denying the individual access to circumcision services puts him at the risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The onset of these diseases leads to diminished quality of life and mortality. Medical rights are influenced by the need to protect human health, life and dignity through preventing, delaying, treating or managing injuries and illnesses. The multitude of diseases prevented through circumcision demonstrates the value of the practice in promoting the individual’s health and life. For example, the evidence supporting the impact of male circumcision in reducing the risks of penile cancer demonstrates that the procedure is comparable to other cancer prevention strategies such as the early mastectomy for the at-risk person.

Conclusion

            Circumcision is a medical right with a critical impact on preventive health interventions. Therefore, it should be made available to all males regardless of their status. The risks of penile cancer, HIV and other STIs are significantly high in uncircumcised men. The denial of access to safe and quality circumcision services and care violates the individual’s right to quality life and predisposes him to potential diseases. Individual providers and the local and state agencies have an obligation to support the right to circumcision.