This BBC article tells the story of Alex Hardy, who committed suicide 2 years after undergoing a circumcision to cure his phimosis. He went to live in Canada, and while there he consulted a doctor who prescribed a steroid cream to stretch the foreskin. When Alex felt that wasn’t working he was referred to a Urologist who immediately suggested circumcision.
This is where the cultural differences kick in. In the UK we don’t circumcise as quickly or easily as they do elsewhere.
Those non-UK readers need to understand something of the British system. The NHS is publically funded through taxation and is free at the point of need. A consequence of this system is that the UK doesn’t provide any treatment that it considers unnecessary. Hence, the NHS will not circumcise boys on demand. (They also do not routinely perform tonsillectomies.)
I am against circumcision for non medical reasons, but sometimes, those medical reasons are not necessarily valid and depend on whichever culture you live in.
The article really moved me and I felt Alex should have been given more options and more after care, especially for someone so young who’s sexual identity is just as important.
You don’t kill yourself because you’ve been circumcised, you kill yourself because you’re mentally ill and not receiving proper or any treatment. Such a ridiculous connection in this BBC story that rambles on about the benefits of remaining uncircumcised rather than writing about suicide. For what it’s worth, Canada has only one health care system (paid for by taxes) there is no alternative private health care system like in the UK, and Canada does not pay for circumcisions. Depending where you live in Canada, circumcision is virtually not performed on any boy (Newfoundland) or on up to 50% of boys in provinces like B.C. or Alberta. (I’m glad I wasn’t born in B.C. or Alberta.)