From the Birmingham Circumcision Clinic website circumcisionbham.co.uk:
“Birmingham Circumcision Clinic is one of the largest circumcision service providers in the UK and Europe. We carry out circumcisions on babies, children of all ages and adults.
The Circumcision Clinic is part of a major award winning health care provider with more than 200 staff members and nine sites throughout Birmingham and the West Midlands. We attract patients from all over the country, some travelling from as far as Scotland, Ireland, Wales and even Europe.”
Dr. Mahboob Shafii’s bio:
I’m a general practitioner with a specialist interest in dermatology based at Laurie Pike Health Centre. I am also the lead clinician at the Birmingham Circumcision Clinic.
I studied medicine at Cardiff University and then carried out my general practice training in Birmingham, working at Selly Oak Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Women’s Hospital. I joined the Modality Partnership in 2007 and have worked with the team to develop the dermatology service and also set up one of the largest circumcision services in the UK. Outside of work, I help to run a scout group.
Something is wrong when a facility called “The Circumcision Clinic” is part of “a major award winning health care provider. Modality Medical Services Ltd. evidently grants female infants genital integrity and autonomy, boys, not so much. Maybe this dermatologist and GP doesn’t know the foreskin is part of the penis and that removing it is genital mutilation. Outside of work he does good works – but inside he mutilates infants without their consent.
Under “Our Fees:”
Restraint and Refund Policy
The Birmingham Circumcision Clinic operates a very strict restraining policy. For clarity we have explained the policy below. Please take your time to read and understand the policy and then judge whether your child will allow for the procedure to go ahead.Once the anaesthetic has been injected, only children aged two years and under will be restrained during the procedure. However where children of this age group show signs of distress or resistance and the doctor feels it would be too harmful to continue, the circumcision will not be carried out.
For children above the age of two years, we will not allow any form of restraint, either by the doctor or parents. After the anaesthetic has been administered, if your child refuses to lie still on the operating bed, it will be dangerous to carry out the circumcision and the procedure will be cancelled.
The Birmingham Circumcision Clinic is an award winning clinic, that has an excellent reputation and while the majority of procedures go ahead with no problems, in certain cases children do get extremely distressed and the procedure has had to be cancelled.
The fee for a newborn baby to be circumcised is a measly 125 pounds – blood money at a discount. Has the doctor no shame? Permanent mutilation for a few pounds?
At least the doctor has some heart, as ‘if children aged two and under show signs of distress or resistance and the doctor feels it would be too harmful to continue, the circumcision will not be carried out.’
More common sense here, avoiding total chaos and psychological damage: “For children above the age of two years, we will not allow any form of restraint, either by the doctor or parents. After the anaesthetic has been administered, if your child refuses to lie still on the operating bed, it will be dangerous to carry out the circumcision and the procedure will be cancelled.”
Under “Your Complete Guide to the Circumcision Service at Birmingham Circumcision Clinic:”
What type of anaesthetic is used and will my child feel any pain?
Before the circumcision, the penis is made numb by injecting a medicine around the base of the penis. This is called a local anaesthetic and ensures that there is no pain during the circumcision procedure. After the injection, the doctor will wait a few minutes for the anaesthetic to take effect, test the foreskin, and only when he is certain that the child is unable to feel localised pain, he will begin the circumcision. The type of anaesthetic we use can last for up to six hours.
I’d like to hear how he’s certain that “the child is unable to feel localised pain” but no method of determining this is offered. Does he ask “does this hurt?”
Will my child cry?
Every baby and child is different. We have had babies and children who have not cried for the injection and have remained quiet during the entire circumcision procedure. Other babies and children start crying as soon as they are undressed and put on the bed.One way to calm and settle babies and very young children is to give them a bottle of sugary water to drink during the injection and the circumcision procedure. We strongly advise this for all babies, infants and toddlers, even if they are breast-fed.
I think the bottle of sugar water is to make the adults feel better, not the infant. Sort of like ‘here kid, bite the bullet.’
What method of circumcision is used for babies, infants and toddlers?
For the overwhelming majority of babies, infants and toddlers, we use the Plastibell circumcision technique.
The Plastibell is a clear plastic ring with a handle and a deep groove running around it. This was invented in America in 1950 and is now one of the most popular circumcision methods used in the UK, USA, Australia, and New Zealand.
After administering the local anaesthesic, the penis and foreskin are separated by gentle pushing. Then a cut is made from the top of the foreskin allowing it to be pushed back and the Plastibell to be placed in position.
The appropriate sized Plastibell is chosen and placed over the head of the penis. It is then covered over by the foreskin. A ligature is tied firmly around the foreskin in order to hold the skin against a groove in the Plastibell. Then the excess skin is carefully trimmed off. Finally, the handle of the plastibell is broken off at the end of the procedure. The entire circumcision procedure takes 10 to 15 minutes. The ring falls off within 10 days, leaving a small wound that will heal over the following weeks. No stitches are required.
The foreskin is an integral part of the penis and is firmly attached at birth. It’s not “excess skin;” most doctors and others doing this cutting don’t know the function of the foreskin.
Formal Surgical Circumcision Techniques
The largest sized Plasibell that is available is 1.7cm in diameter. Thus in a very small percentage of babies, infants and toddlers the Plastibell method may not be suitable and one of the formal surgical circumcision teachniques may need to be used. The doctor will discuss this with you if the procedure becomes necessary.
The three formal surgical techniques are:
Forceps Guided Circumcision
Sleeve Resection Circumcision
Dorsal Slit Circumcision
All three of the above circumcision methods require stitching after the foreskin is removed. We use dissolvable stitches. This means that the stitches will automatically dissolve over a period of two to six weeks and do not need to be removed.What method of circumcision is used for children aged 2 and under 16 years old?
For a small percentage of children aged 2 and above, the Plastibell method (details above) may still be suitable. However for the vast majority of older children our preferred and safest method is to use one of the formal surgical circumcision techniques as outlined above.The formal circumcision techniques require the use of a scalpel to remove the foreskin, bipolar forceps to control any bleeding and then the cut edges are stitched with absorbable sutures. The area is then cleaned and a dressing applied. The entire process can take approximately 45 minutes.
You’d think with procedures like “sleeve resection” and “dorsal slit” we’d be given risk information. Maybe here under “Blog -> What You Need to Know about Having your Baby Circumcised:”
Circumcision is when the loose skin, known as the foreskin or prepuce, which covers the end of your baby’s penis is surgically removed. The foreskin covers and protects the top part of the penis and contains nerves, blood vessels, and a tiny amount of muscle. In the circumcision practice, babies are counted as those under the age of three months. A circumcision on babies or children under the age of five is rarely for medical reasons, and is usually carried out as a family decision, for social and cultural reasons, or as part of Islamic or Judaic religious traditions.
Well, the foreskin DID ‘cover and protect’ the penis and USED TO ‘contain nerves and blood vessels’ until the doctor cut it off and tossed it away like garbage.
Saying that circumcision is “usually carried out as a family decision” is actually adults forcing THEIR irreversible decision on an unconsenting infant.
Carrying out the procedure
The World Health Organisation guidelines state that a baby must weigh more than 2.5kg in order for the circumcision to be carried out. It is safe for your newborn boy to undergo the procedure at any stage taking his weight into consideration, however, it’s advisable that if your baby is premature, you should wait until he is older to take into account how early he was when calculating his readiness.
For newborn babies, your surgeon is likely to use a local anaesthetic to numb the area. This will be either via an injection at the base of the baby’s penis, or the application of a cream, around an hour before the procedure. The procedure itself is considered to be minor surgery and won’t take long – there is no need for you or your baby to stay overnight at the clinic or hospital. If your baby is being circumcised for non-medical reasons, both parents must give their consent.
How to prepare
There aren’t many special preparations you’ll have to make before the operation, though we’d advise that you change your baby’s nappy and keep a clean one ready to change him into after the surgery is complete.
We’d also recommend that you give him a bottle of sugary water to drink during the injection and the circumcision procedure, as this is a good way to help calm and settle babies or very young children. Although parents may feel more at ease staying in the operating room during the entire circumcision procedure, it can be a stressful time for parents and you may feel more comfortable waiting outside until it has been carried out.
‘Parents may feel more comfortable waiting outside until the circumcision has been carried out.’ Why, so they think it’s the “minor surgery” he says it is?
Since Dr. Shafii gives no information about the risks of circumcision, see that here at neonatalcutting.org.
Dr. Shafii’s practice information follows:
Birmingham Circumcision Clinic
Laurie Pike Health Centre
2 Fentham Road, Aston
Birmingham
B6 6BB
Tel: 0121 250 0386
Fax: 0121 523 6163
circumcision.bham@nhs.net
