"Male circumcision should only be done after the patient is an adult. Male circumcision without a medical indication is ethically unacceptable, when the procedure is performed without the informed consent of the patient, and such consent can only truly be given after the patient is of age", says the Danish National Board Of Nurses.

Male circumcision should not take place without a medical reason, unless he is of legal age and gives his consent to the procedure. That is the message from the Danish Nurses in the debate on circumcision of boys after the matter has been discussed in the Danish Nursing Council's executive committee.

Circumcision of male children has been debated in Denmark for decades. Danish Nurses have decided to change its attitude on the subject and is thus in line with the Danish Medical Association on the issue of circumcision of boys whose position is that unless there is a medical reason for the surgery, it should not be made before the boy is an adult and can give consent. The union has been recently chosen to clarify its policy on male circumcision, which replaces the association's previous policy paper from 2012.

"Danish Nurses has chosen to follow the Medical Association's position and is therefore not in line with the Health Protection Agency," says Vice President of the Danish Nurses Anni Pilgaard.

"The decision to be circumcised should be a personal choice that the individual consents to. The issue of circumcision can not be left to a child's parents because it is an intervention that can not be undone, which is both painful and like any other surgical procedure carries the risk of complications, "says Anni Pilgaard.

"Circumcision is often done in conjunction with cultural and religious affiliation, and it is a procedure that permanently changes the child's body, a surgery which reduces the child's ability to decide over his own body, therefore male circumcision should not be carried out before the person is an adult, and can decide for himself whether he wants circumcision, "says Anni Pilgaard.

The operation is described as contrary to the UN Convention, which says that children must be protected from traditional practices which may be harmful to their health.

https://dsr.dk/politik-og-nyheder/nyhed/omskaering-af-drenge-boer-kun-ske-efter-den-unge-er-myndig