Circumcision rates in the United States have fallen to 49% in 2022, down from 54% in 2012, according to a study released Wednesday, prompting renewed debate over the procedure’s benefits and parental rights.
The decline, documented across more than 1.5 million U.S. Male births, coincides with a broader trend of skepticism toward medical recommendations, researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found. Dr. Aaron Tobian, a professor of pathology at Johns Hopkins and co-senior researcher on the study, suggested a link between growing vaccine hesitancy and declining circumcision rates. “Despite overwhelming evidence that neonatal male circumcisions provide health benefits, increasing public skepticism in the United States toward medical recommendations may be driving more parents to choose not to have their sons secure circumcised,” he said.
The World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all recommend routine circumcision for male infants, citing benefits including improved hygiene and a reduced risk of urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases. But, the study indicates that these recommendations are increasingly being questioned by parents.
The trend is not uniform across all demographics. Circumcision rates among white male babies decreased by more than 5%, falling from over 65% in 2012 to 60% in 2022. The study also noted the potential influence of the growing Hispanic population in the U.S. On the overall decline.
Concerns about access to safe and medically sound circumcision procedures have also surfaced internationally. In Finland, a working group of the Ministry for Social Affairs and Health recently proposed requiring municipal hospitals to perform circumcisions on young boys, following reports of complications from procedures performed outside of regulated medical settings. A 2001 incident in Kuopio, Finland, where seven Muslim boys experienced complications after home circumcisions, highlighted the risks associated with non-medical practitioners. However, some Finnish pediatric surgeons have indicated they will continue to refuse to perform religiously motivated circumcisions even if mandated by law.
While the study points to parental distrust of medical advice as a key factor, the role of religious and ethical considerations remains significant. In some communities, circumcision is a deeply ingrained religious practice, often performed by a mohel, who receives rigorous training, sometimes as both a doctor and a rabbi, according to reports.
Interestingly, a separate, unrelated observation revealed a correlation between doctors who perform circumcisions and their tipping habits in restaurants, though the reasons for this remain unclear.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is scheduled to review its circumcision policy in late 2026, a process that will likely be informed by the recent study’s findings and ongoing public debate.