HOLD THAT KNIFE!

Ore. Court: Boy Has Say in Circumcision (SFChron)
The wishes of a 12-year-old boy should be considered in a dispute between his divorced parents about whether he should be circumcised, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The father, James Boldt, converted to Judaism in 2004 and wants the boy to be circumcised as part of the faith. The mother, Lia Boldt, appealed to the high court, saying the operation could harm her son physically and psychologically.

The state Supreme Court ruled that earlier court decisions failed to determine whether the boy wanted the circumcision, as his father contended, or opposed it, as his mother alleged.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to the trial court to answer that question.

If the trial court finds the child agrees to be circumcised, the Supreme Court said, it should deny the mother's requests. But if the trial court finds the child opposes the circumcision, the court has to determine if it will affect the father's ability to care for the child.

The custody dispute began when the child was 4 and the circumcision issue began three years ago when he was 9.

James Boldt, a lawyer, is representing himself, had no comment, his office said. The attorney for both sides also declined to comment.

The case has drawn attention from Jewish groups concerned that the Oregon court might restrict the practice. A group called Doctors Opposing Circumcision backs the mother.

The courts have steered clear of religious or medical issues, focusing on the questions of custody and care of the child.

STILL THE KINDEST CUT OF ALL

Circumcision 'does not curb sex' (BBC)
Circumcision does not reduce sexual satisfaction and there should be no doubts about using it to combat HIV, a study says.

U.N. TO MEN: GET CIRCUMCISED

AS I'VE POSTED IN THE PAST, SCIENTISTS HAVE CONFIRMED THAT CIRCUMCISION DRASTICALLY REDUCES THE TRANSMISSION RATE OF HIV. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THE U.N. IS TELLING PEOPLE TO IMITATE THE JEWS (AND GET CIRCUMCISED). NOW IF THE U.N. COULD ONLY SHOW A LITTLE LOVE TO THE NATION WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF CIRCUMCISED MALES.

Message to men: Get circumcised - Reduces chance of getting HIV up to 60% (Chicago Sun Times)
Heterosexual men should be circumcised because of compelling evidence it reduces their chances of contracting HIV up to 60 percent, U.N. agencies said Wednesday. But men should still use condoms and other protection against the virus, said the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, the U.N. agency that coordinates the fight against the AIDS virus. ''We must be clear,'' said Catherine Hankins of UNAIDS. ''Male circumcision does not provide complete protection against HIV.''.... Studies suggest male circumcision could prevent 5.7 million new cases of HIV infection over 20 years in sub-Saharan Africa.

CIRCUMCISION SHARPLY REDUCES HIV RISK

Studies: Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk (AP)
LONDON (AP) - Scientists say conclusive data shows there is no question circumcision reduces men's chances of catching HIV by up to 60 percent - a finding experts are hailing as a major breakthrough in the fight against AIDS. Now, the question is how to put that fact to work to combat AIDS across Africa.

The findings first were announced in December, when initial results from two major trials - in Kenya and Uganda - showed promising links between circumcision and HIV transmission. However, those trials were deemed so definitive that the tests were halted early.

The full data from the trials, carried out by the United States' National Institutes of Health, were published Friday in The Lancet.

"This is an extraordinary development," said Dr. Kevin de Cock, [ED. INTERESTING NAME FOR THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH] director of the World Health Organization's AIDS department. "Circumcision is the most potent intervention in HIV prevention that has been described."

Circumcision has long been suspected of reducing men's susceptibility to HIV infection because the cells in the foreskin of the penis are especially vulnerable to the virus.

A modeling study done last year projected that in the next decade, male circumcision could prevent 2 million AIDS infections and 300,000 deaths. Last year, 2.8 million people in sub-Saharan Africa became infected with HIV, and 2.1 million people died.

Experts say the breakthrough is a significant one on par with the identification of the virus and the use of lifesaving combination drug therapy.