Infant Circumcision and Human Rights: A Test of Tolerance and Cultural Relativism

This book provides a comprehensive ethical examination of infant male circumcision through the lens of human rights theory. Drawing on over 30 years of clinical experience and extensive research, Robert S. Van Howe presents a systematic analysis of one of medicine's most controversial practices.

The book addresses fundamental questions about moral status, bodily integrity, and informed consent in medical decision-making. Van Howe employs diverse ethical frameworks―from Kantian categorical imperatives to utilitarian analysis―to examine whether infant circumcision constitutes a human rights violation. The analysis includes detailed comparisons with female circumcision practices and a thorough examination of the moral status of infants and whether they are the subject of human rights protections. With clear explanations of bioethical principles and logical fallacies, the book serves both scholarly audiences and educated general readers interested in medical ethics, human rights, and cultural practices. Van Howe offers practical solutions, including delayed consent options, while challenging readers to consider whether this common procedure can be ethically justified in modern liberal societies.

Infant Circumcision and Human Rights is a valuable resource for researchers, students, and medical practitioners working in bioethics, religious ethics, and pediatric medicine.

Robert S. Van Howe is a board-certified general pediatrician with over 30 years of clinical experience. He is currently the Medical Director for four public health departments responsible for ten counties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and a Clinical Professor at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, USA.