Circumcision advocacy

This article is about those who advocate circumcision and their activities in doing so. The WHO and UNAIDS advocate male circumcision as a means of reducing the rate of HIV infection.
History
Ephron reports that Gentiles and also some Jewish reformers in early 19th Century Germany had criticized ritual circumcision as "barbaric" and that Jewish doctors responded to these criticisms with defences of the ritual or proposals for modification or reform. By the late 19th century some German Jewish doctors defended circumcision by claiming it had health advantages.
Prominent circumcision advocates in English-speaking countries
Circumcision spread in several English-speaking nations from the late nineteenth century. One reason for this was promotion by doctors such as Sir Jonathan Hutchinson in England. Peter Charles Remondino, of San Diego, wrote a History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present: Moral and Physical Reasons for Its Performance (1891), to promote circumcision. Lewis Sayre, a prominent American Orthopedic surgeon at the time, was another early American advocate.
In the late nineteenth century, doctors and others advocated circumcision to prevent masturbation, which was then considered sinful and harmful. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg recommended circumcision of boys, writing: "A remedy for masturbation which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision.... The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering anaesthetic, as the pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment." As late as 1936. L. E. Holt, an author of pediatric textbooks, advocated male and female circumcision as a treatment for masturbation.
Dr. Benjamin Spock (d. 1998), who originally supported circumcision, changed his mind near the end of his life. Dr. Thomas Wiswell, who was originally opposed to circumcision, later changed his mind after his research revealed a protective effect against urinary tract infections. Dr. Edgar Schoen, (b. 1925) former chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Task Force on Circumcision, maintains a web site promoting circumcision and claims physical benefits in sexual performance in addition to medical arguments. Aaron J. Fink, M.D. (d. 1990), another late 20th century circumcision advocate, self-published Circumcision: A Parent's Decision for Life to promote his ideas.
In Australia, Professor Brian Morris, author of "In Favour of Circumcision" said, "It was never my intention to be the biggest campaigner for circumcision in Australia. Really, I’m a campaigner for science." Morris writes that circumcision confers many medical benefits including reduced risk of UTIs, penile cancer, HIV, balanitis, posthitis, phimosis, and prostate cancer and argues that circumcision has sexual benefits.

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