Circumcision. To educate, not indoctrinate--a mandate for certified nurse-midwives

Presented is a model of providing parents with honest, unbiased education toward informed participation and consent relative to neonatal circumcision. Historical perspective and current understanding of medical benefits, risk, possible complications, alternatives, and expected after-care is explored. Particulars of how and why parents, who have the legal right and responsibility, decide about circumcision are discussed. Whether that decision is based on interpretation of medical opinion, parenting values, cultural mores, or religious beliefs, certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) must be able to advocate for families who make choices different from their own. For those CNMs incorporating circumcision into their practice, a survey revealed that 85% of California ACNM members support this. The 10-year experience of one midwifery service is detailed.