The circumcision of young boys is a culturally accepted practice in Australia, although circumcision rates have dropped dramatically since the 1950s. In an Opinion Piece published in the Adelaidean, Adelaide Law School’s Cornelia Koch argues that underage circumcision should be discouraged because it constitutes an infringement of boys’ personal autonomy. In her view, it should be left to the boy to make an informed decision about whether he would like to lose his foreskin when he is old enough to decide this. Her article can be found here.

 Cornelia Koch is a Senior Lecturer in the Adelaide Law School at the University of Adelaide.