Why are Australian men no longer getting circumcised?

In the 1950s, the rate of circumcision in Australia was about 80 per cent. The ratio of cut to uncut has since reversed: It’s estimated about 20 per cent of newborn boys are now circumcised.

What happened? What’s behind the falling rates of circumcision, and is there any good medical reason to have a hoodie or a helmet?

Although rates are falling in Australia, there are still thousands of newborns being circumcised every year. Meanwhile, Iceland has considered banning the procedure on the grounds it disregards a boy’s right to self-determination.

The proposal won support from around one-third of Iceland’s doctors, and rattled the Jewish and Muslim communities, which practice ritual circumcision.

In the UK, some healthcare experts have called for a national ban on male circumcision to match the existing one on female genital mutilation. Earlier this year, a mother sued a doctor over her son’s circumcision, which she says was performed without her consent.

In the US, a mother is suing a clinic for removing more than the foreskin.

“The numbers have really fallen over the past couple of decades,” Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president-elect Dr Harry Nespolon told Hack.