Narrative inquiry in bioethics最新文献

{"title":"Editors' Note","authors":"James M. DuBois, Ana S. Iltis, Heidi A. Walsh","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909655","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909655","url":null,"abstract":"Editors' Note James M. DuBois, Ana S. Iltis, and Heidi A. Walsh Dionne Deschenne was 30 weeks pregnant with her son when she contracted a serious case of pneumonia, requiring her to have an emergency C-section. Her son spent weeks in the NICU after his premature birth. Deschenne writes, \"Under the conditions, I relied on the hospital staff to help me understand the risks, benefits, and necessities of each procedure or test they recommended. We formed a relationship of mutual respect.\" One day when Deschenne's doctor was making rounds, a nurse asked if she wanted to have her son circumcised while the doctor had time and was available. \"The nurse bringing up circumcision was one with whom I had built a relationship of trust over the previous days. I considered her a trusted advisor. I asked her what the benefits would be? What would the risks be? Would my son experience pain? Was operating on such a tiny and ill baby safe?\" Authors in this issue of \"Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics\" pondered similar questions. In the symposium, \"Newborn Male Circumcision,\" we aimed to explore the decision making process of parents when choosing whether to have their infant male children circumcised. Through the symposium, we hoped to gain insights about what information or resources parents lack or would find helpful as they decide. \"Overall, even though it was a very difficult decision, I think it was the right one for my son and our family,\" says Anonymous Two, one of 14 authors who contributed a story. \"I don't think it's right for others to judge parents that make the choice to circumcise their sons. I don't think it's an easy choice for most of them—it certainly wasn't an easy choice for me.\" Twelve stories are included in the symposium; two additional narratives are published in the online supplement. Nine of the 12 parent authors opted to circumcise their infant sons, though the reasons they stated for doing so varied. Most of the parent authors relied on cultural or social beliefs, religious guidance, or a desire for sameness with the infant's father. Parents who didn't circumcise their male infants discuss their convictions about autonomy, bodily rights, and the medical benefits of circumcision versus the harm or pain caused by the procedure. The symposium editor, Heidi A. Walsh, makes the observation that \"while shared decision making is not an overarching theme in the stories, the authors demonstrate that circumcision decisions are not straightforward for many parents and discussion with a trusted healthcare provider could have been helpful.\" The four commentary articles by Lauren L. Baker, Laura M. Carpenter, Shawn D. O'Connor and Claudio J. Kogan offer important insights into the authors' stories. Comatose survivors of cardiac arrest often die after life-sustaining therapy is withdrawn. Family members, acting as surrogate decision makers, are frequently asked to decide whether their loved one should continue to receive ongoing mechanical ventilation or o","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135195652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Full Collection of Personal Narratives","authors":"","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909677","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909677","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135194439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surprised Divide","authors":"Anonymous One","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909657","url":null,"abstract":"Surprised Divide Anonymous One Anonymous One Not long after our daughter was born, my wife and I were expecting a son. We were busy new parents, so her pregnancy with our second child went by quickly and without a lot of the fuss that a first pregnancy brings. To our surprise, our son was born a few weeks early but aside from a little jaundice he was a happy, healthy baby. My parents were caring for our daughter while we were at the hospital. After my son's birth, we were excited for them to bring our daughter up to the hospital to visit her new baby brother. The hospital photographer came by and took photos of our two kids together and photos of our son swaddled and sleeping soundly in a basket. Other family members stopped by to meet the new baby as well. It was a happy time. Little did we know that a couple of hours later we would be faced with a communication breakdown. My wife and I usually pride ourselves on how well we are able to communicate and plan our future. I grew up heavily Catholic, attending parochial schools through high school graduation. Meanwhile, my wife's family are Unitarian Universalists. You could not have two more polar opposite religions! We are used to having different points of view. We have always talked through many of life's choices and have both had to make compromises in order to have a successful relationship. It was on that happy day of my son's birth that we discovered we forgot to discuss one important topic. As our family was gathered in my wife's hospital room, joyfully celebrating the newest addition, the doctor entered the room to check on my wife and said it was time to do the circumcision if we wanted. Without hesitation, I responded in the affirmative, then the doctor and I looked over at my wife, who was staring at us with saddened, conflicted eyes. I was confused. Didn't she want the same thing for our son that I did? Surprisingly we never discussed this decision, at least not that I remember. I don't recall her ever telling me she was against it. My wife stated that she wasn't prepared to make a decision because she didn't know what our son would want and she was worried about him experiencing pain. She worked hard for 9 months to grow this baby boy, and he was so little. I understood her anguish in the thought of letting someone alter his tiny body. I am circumcised myself. My background provided me guidance and an expectation that this would be happening, so it was a nonissue for me. I never considered a scenario in which my son would not be circumcised. In truth, it felt ridiculous to even contemplate not circumcising him. My words of reassurance that it would be fine and my explanation to my wife that this was just one of the many decisions we would need to make for him and our other child did little to settle her. It was clear that no one (including me) had discussed this with my wife prior to this point, which was unfortunate. The doctor described the process and tried to reassure my wife that","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135195644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Making Choices—Newborn Male Circumcision","authors":"Shawn D. O'Connor","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909671","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract: Newborn male circumcision has potential benefits and advantages as well as disadvantages and risks. Families will at times have medical questions regarding newborn male circumcision that clinicians must be prepared to answer.","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135195647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Brit Milah for Eliezer Herschel ben Yonatan Aryeh","authors":"Molly Sinderbrand","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909668","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909668","url":null,"abstract":"A Brit Milah for Eliezer Herschel ben Yonatan Aryeh Molly Sinderbrand For observant Jews, the choice to circumcise one's son is not a choice. Technically, it is a contractual obligation; the belief is that male circumcision is part of a holy covenant with God. The word for ritual circumcision, brit milah or bris, literally means \"covenant [of circumcision].\" Circumcision is a physical symbol of a relationship with the divine. It is the commandment that encompasses all other commandments. It is, thankfully, only required of men (women, they say, are naturally closer to divinity). Circumcision is when a baby boy enters the Jewish community, eight days after birth, and when he gets his name. He becomes somebody. To choose otherwise— and some may choose otherwise—is to choose not to be part of the contract, and by extension, not be part of the Jewish community. And a community is one of the most valuable things a person can have. I was not always an observant Jew, though I was raised in a Jewish household. I essentially fell into observance over a period of 10 years, starting with studying ancient Hebrew with a language-loving rabbi in high school and eventually leading to weekly attendance at an orthodox shul, which I joined shortly after first tasting the vegan cholent at kiddush. It was much easier to make friends in [End Page 91] the Jewish community than in my competitive and mildly misogynist graduate program, and frankly, I liked them better. I received kindness and support when I needed it, and gave it back equally, especially around having children. Having children is difficult under any circumstance, but it is especially difficult in social settings where it is seen as abnormal, strange, or even selfish. The Jewish community normalized having children and created a respite from the judgment of the secular world. When I was pregnant at work, I got comments like \"It looks like you're having twins!\" and \"Are you sure you don't have pre-eclampsia? You look awfully large\"; at shul, I got pep talks, encouragement, and the traditional \"b'sha'a tova\"—\"may it happen at a good time.\" Eventually, after having two kids in a two-bedroom rowhome, my husband and I moved to a mostly-Jewish suburb just outside the city. It is the kind of place where everyone says \"Gut Shabbes\" (a good Sabbath) to each other on Saturdays, but not one in which all the men wear black hats and study Torah all day (though some do). That is, folks live Jewish lives, but interact with the outside world as well. After a few months, it felt like home. This was the context in which I decided—or rather, did not have to decide—to circumcise my son. It was the natural result of the decision to be part of a community that places value (and even membership) on the ritual of circumcision. I made that decision years earlier and have been continuously reaffirming it since. Every day I wake up is a day I decide to be an observant Jew, and I decide to do so in order to be a member of an observ","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135194192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Newborn Male Circumcision","authors":"Heidi A. Walsh","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909656","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909656","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract: This symposium includes twelve personal narratives from parents about making the decision whether to circumcise their infant male children. The authors of the narratives include five fathers and seven mothers. Nine of the 12 parent authors opted to circumcise their infant sons, though the reasons they stated for doing so varied. Most of the parent authors relied on cultural or social beliefs, religious guidance, or a desire for sameness with the infant's father. Parents who didn't circumcise their male infants discuss their convictions about autonomy, bodily rights, and the medical benefits of circumcision versus the harm or pain caused by the procedure. The symposium includes four expert commentaries on the narratives that are informed and enriched by the commentators' expertise in pediatric bioethics, healthcare ethics, gender studies, Jewish law and tradition, and the medical and surgical techniques of circumcision.","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"80 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135195654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Declining Circumcision for My Premature Newborn","authors":"Dionne Deschenne","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909667","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909667","url":null,"abstract":"Declining Circumcision for My Premature Newborn Dionne Deschenne In 1993, I was pregnant with my first of three sons and was busy preparing for his arrival. Unlike most parents, who focus much of their time on decorating the nursery and buying supplies, I was researching the medical decisions that I would need to make in the moments and weeks following his birth. Having worked in a hospital while a pre-medicine student, I had heard the cries of babies undergoing tests and procedures shortly after birth and knew I needed to be clear on the necessity of those tests and procedures if I was going to consent to them for my baby. My husband was in the Navy and out to sea for six months, so I took a few college courses to pass the time. One was a philosophy course on ethics, and I chose the bioethics of infant male circumcision as the focal point of my coursework that quarter. This allowed me to work through my findings in a racially, religiously, and age-diverse classroom under the guidance of a skilled professor. I was shocked to learn that even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) at that time acknowledged that there were no known medical benefits that resulted from circumcision. How, I wondered, could parents allow their newborns to undergo such a harrowing experience for no reason? As the months passed and the birth of our first son grew nearer, I had everything ready—all of the decisions made, the doctors prepared, and the hospital selected. All of that preparation went out the proverbial window when I contracted pneumonia at 30 weeks. I was admitted to the Naval Hospital and treated for a week before being airlifted to a nearby Army Hospital when my condition worsened. After a few days there, the doctor came in very early one morning to wake me. Our son's heart rate was slowing, and we were at risk of losing him. They needed to immediately perform an emergency Cesarean section to preserve his life. I was terrified, knowing the potential myriad adverse effects his pre-term birth could cause. We were rushed into the OR and within seconds I had an epidural in my back. Moments later, my perfect, tiny but silent baby was whisked from the room to be attended to by a highly skilled and immensely respected NICU team. My husband followed to keep a watchful eye on our son while I was taken to Recovery. A few hours later, I was allowed to join my husband and son in the NICU. Our baby was beautiful, but so tiny that my husband could hold him in one hand. He weighed four pounds and had an enormous needle in the top of his head. The nurse explained to me that the IV needle was in the best location for administering the IV fluids and medications that our baby needed. His pre-term birth had introduced the need for several tests and treatments I had not anticipated. This was immensely distressing for me as someone who wanted to research and understand so that I could make well-informed and ethical decisions. Keep in mind that this was in the days before smart","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135194187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proudly Jewish—and Averse to Circumcision","authors":"Lisa Braver Moss","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909666","url":null,"abstract":"Proudly Jewish—and Averse to Circumcision Lisa Braver Moss I've always had a strong sense of my Jewish identity—and I've always had grave misgivings about circumcision. It used to seem that these [End Page 86] statements were at odds with one another. Now I'm on a mission to integrate the two. I'm married to a man who's also Jewish. In the late 1980s, we had two sons, whose circumcisions I agreed to. Brit milah (the covenant of circumcision) is intended as a spiritually meaningful act symbolizing the agreement between God and the Jewish people. But for me, the experience was so upsetting that I didn't feel God's presence. In spite of all the arguments in favor—the weight of tradition, wanting my boys to be accepted in the Jewish world, and so on—I came to regret my acquiescence. I began to explore reasons to question circumcision from a Jewish point of view, publishing articles in Jewish magazines and speaking at conferences. Rather than focusing on the medical pros and cons, I wrote about Jewish law and ethics, and spoke with many rabbis. I was hoping to deepen Jewish dialogue on this topic, which was oddly off-limits in a culture that values intellectual inquiry. Besides helping me understand more about Judaism, my research and writing was a way of living with my guilt. I had succumbed to—and put my boys through—a tradition that went completely against my maternal instincts. This schism had made me doubt myself as a new mother. What kind of parent was I if I couldn't be a fierce protector of my newborn baby? It was not a positive or welcoming way for me to enter into motherhood. I blamed myself. I hadn't done medical research before my boys were born, trusting instead in the longevity of the tradition and the claim that circumcision is more hygienic. I bought into the medical justifications for circumcision—all of which, I later learned, fail to acknowledge the erogenous nature of foreskin tissue and its physiological function. If I'd known more; if I'd thought more deeply about infant trauma; if I'd taken my own spirituality more seriously—I would have fought for a different outcome, despite the pressure I felt as a Jewish person. Years went by. I wrote a novel about Jewish circumcision, then co-wrote a book of alternative bris ceremonies for families opting out of circumcision. Slowly, I came to understand that blaming myself for agreeing to circumcise my sons was not only a waste of time, but also missed the larger point. I'm not alone in my objections to this ancient tradition. Indeed, many Jewish parents get through the event with white knuckles, emotional detachment, alcohol, or sedatives rather than with genuine religious feeling. Shouldn't their spiritual authenticity matter? Shouldn't mine have mattered? In Judaism, every commandment (of which circumcision is one) should be approached with kavanah, or spiritual intent. Thus, my non-spiritual feelings about the circumcision tradition are problematic from a Jewish point of view. I should","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135194189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"My Circumcision Decision: A Journey of Inquiry, Courage and Discovery","authors":"Laurie Evans","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909676","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909676","url":null,"abstract":"My Circumcision Decision:A Journey of Inquiry, Courage and Discovery Laurie Evans Before becoming a mother, I was teaching parents to massage their babies and offering trainings for professionals. To promote my work, in 1984, I exhibited at the Whole Life Expo in New York City. When I returned to my booth after a break, I noticed someone had left a pamphlet by Edward Wallerstein, who wrote \"Circumcision: An American Health Fallacy.\" Since I am naturally curious, I read it. Disturbed, I thought of tossing it. But, how could I be teaching a nurturing technique for newborns and avoid this topic? As a Jewish woman, how would I make the decision for my own future sons? Little did I know this one piece of paper would lead me on a path of inquiry that would change my life. One of the presenters at this conference was Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, an Orthodox pediatrician. Although Dr. Mendelsohn realized some parents would allow circumcision for religious reasons, he was honest enough to dispel every medical myth and explain the harm of removing normal functioning tissue. He also described possible complications from removing the foreskin, including infection, hemorrhage, and although rare, death. To learn more, I read whatever I could find on the topic. I attended midwifery and childbirth conferences to promote my work and prepare for when I became pregnant. I decided to ask about circumcision, but the conversations were awkward and I received little helpful information. I found that circumcision was a taboo topic; few people wanted to talk about it. Why? Doctors who perform circumcisions, nurses who recommend it, and parents who consent to it do not want to face the reality of the harm they cause. Instead of facing the pain, they avoid the topic, and the procedure continues. Most men do not want to discuss or think about their own circumcisions. I learned that we need to have compassion during these conversations. A Jewish ritual ceremony (bris) is performed on the eighth day after the boy's birth, and includes circumcision and prayers. At a bris, friends and relatives are invited to observe and celebrate. It is part of my heritage. I tried to talk to my relatives about the information I had found, but everyone refused to discuss it. This avoidance made my decision very difficult. Then, for the first time, I was invited to a bris; I didn't want to attend. However, I had been at the boy's birth, so I decided to go to offer support. During the circumcision, my reaction was intense: I wanted to take the baby and run. I felt like an accomplice. I wanted to grab people by the [End Page E2] shoulders and scream, \"How dare you?\" I vowed I would never attend another bris, and I made the decision to write publicly instead of anonymously. I still had doubts, because I didn't know one intact adult male. What if I were to have a son, keep him intact, and he developed a complication later in life? I have learned that doctors are not taught non-invasive solutions, so most","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135194199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"My Personal Experience with Circumcision","authors":"Petrina Fadel","doi":"10.1353/nib.2023.a909663","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/nib.2023.a909663","url":null,"abstract":"My Personal Experience with Circumcision Petrina Fadel On October 2, 1981, I sat down to watch \"NBC Magazine\" on television, with a segment about infant circumcision called \"The Casual Cut,\" by Douglas Kiker. (To watch, see youtube.com/watch?v=vm6Y0HJo034) I listened to doctors say there were no valid medical reasons for performing circumcisions on baby boys. One doctor said that circumcisions were done mainly for parental preference. In horror, I saw a newborn baby boy being circumcised without anesthesia. Edward Wallerstein, author of the book \"CIRCUMCISION: An American Health Fallacy,\" told how circumcision is not practiced in most other countries. He called it a \"cop out\" that American doctors do not stop performing infant circumcisions, but instead take a neutral position by saying they'll let the parents decide. I was stunned. Why had most parents never heard this before? I did not know this when my first daughter was born in 1972, a year after the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote that \"there are no valid medical indications for circumcision in the neonatal period.\" Before my second daughter was born in 1977, I was asked during my hospital admission if I wanted my baby circumcised if I had a boy. No doctor had ever mentioned the word circumcision, but now a woman in admissions was soliciting me for this surgery, despite \"No Solicitation\" signs posted on their doors. When I thought back to being questioned this way, I got angry. I did not understand why doctors would do such a ghastly thing to baby boys, something no national medical association in the world recommends. I know now that the driving force in medicine is money. I read Wallerstein's book to educate myself, and spoke with my friend who was a La Leche League leader. Together we signed a letter to the editor that I wrote and mailed to local newspapers, telling people the facts about circumcision. I was reluctant to put my name alone on this letter, since people in the United States do not talk openly about circumcision. For me, this was the first step in a long journey. I learned of a childbirth group fighting against infant circumcision and contacted them. I arranged for a speaker to come speak about circumcision to two local childbirth classes. I learned that genital cutting is practiced not only on baby boys in the United States, but also on females in Africa and the Middle East. I inwardly wept as I read about the inhumane things done to girls there. I thought of my own daughters. No child, male or female, should ever be subjected to genital mutilation. In 1982, my third daughter was born. When I questioned my doctor during my prenatal care, he told me that circumcisions were medically unnecessary, that he had seen infants die from them in medical school, but he circumcises babies anyway if parents want that done. He called himself \"the reluctant rabbi.\" I told my doctor to write \"No Circumcision\" on my chart if I had a boy. While he delivered my daughter by Cesarean sectio","PeriodicalId":37978,"journal":{"name":"Narrative inquiry in bioethics","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135195643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}