The Des Moines Register
Tuesday, July 8, 1997, Page 6A
letters@news.dmreg.com

Form of brutality

     Regarding the article in your newspaper of June 25 ("Court overturns ban on female circumcision"), it's difficult to see how the United States can take a strong stand against such practices, considering the commonly accepted practice of male circumcision in this country.
     Religious customs in foreign countries may seem strange and even brutal to us, but it's much more difficult to see faults within our own culture.
     Any surgical procedure that is performed on an individual without that person's consent and without a medical necessity must be viewed as a form of brutality, particularly when that individual is a child.
     It's time we took a closer look at male circumcision, to examine whether this practice is medically necessary or justifiable.

-- Carl E. Olsen
1116 E. Seneca Ave., Des Moines.