The parental movement against vaccines, revealed in the West Coast measles outbreak, apparently is broader than just shunning immunizations, as new hospital evidence and polling shows that especially younger parents are refusing to circumcise baby boys.
Long considered an operation that leads to better male hygiene and a sure way to reduce cancer and chances of getting HIV, more parents are deciding that it’s just not needed.
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As with the anti-vaccine movement, figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that those in the West are leading the way. Over a 32-year study period, circumcision at birth decreased 37 percent, from 63.9 percent in 1979 to 40.2 percent in 2010. The rate for the rest of the country ranges from 53 percent to 70 percent.
What’s more, a poll on the issue released this week finds that younger parents are shunning the post-birth operation.
The latest YouGov.com poll found that just 33 percent of “under-30s” believe it should be done as a matter of routine, while up to 63 percent of older Americans believe it should happen.
The poll found one irony. As new parents shy away from the operation, more uncircumcised adult men are going under the knife.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
