Maternal attitudes toward circumcision.

Two hundred questionnaires were completed anonymously by mothers to determine the nature of their attitudes and knowledge of neonatal circumcision. Neonatal circumcision had been performed on 95 percent of the sons. A wide variety of reasons were given for circumcising newborns; few were medically valid. Eighty-seven percent of mothers considered circumcision to be without risk, and 80 percent of mothers stated that the risks of circumcision had not been explained to them. This retrospective study revealed a lack of maternal understanding regarding neonatal circumcision.