In 2004, 57% of boys born in the United States received a medically-unnecessary, non-thera-peutic circumcision at great cost before leav-ing the maternity hospital [1], although there are no medical indications for this amputative operation [2,3]. Alleged advantages rest on claimed, but unproved, prophylactic preven-tion of disease later in life. Complications and risks, however, are clear and immediate. Such circumcisions are not good medical practice and are injurious to the infant [4]. Because the US is the greatest offender, this paper will focus on circumcision as practiced in the US and will explore the multitude of reasons why circumcision should not be performed and why false claims of benefits are made. Medical society position statements Too much weight is placed on medical society position statements regarding child circumci-sion. Medical societies are political organiza-tions whose purpose is to advance the interests of their physician-members. If societies were honest about the risks associated with circum-cision and the certain loss of physiological function, the physician-members would lose income and be exposed to risk of lawsuits for the certain injury caused by amputation of normal functional tissue. The ethical problems associated with non-therapeutic circumcision of children are ignored or minimized. Current statements remove the burden of care from the doctor and shift the duty and legal responsi-bility to the parents. Psycho-social problems also exist [5]. Cir-cumcised doctors who perform circumcision may be unable to objectively consider the current evidence [5]. Emotional factors include avoidance of emotional discomfort from ques-tioning one's own circumcision and protection of self-esteem by those who have performed hundreds or thousands of circumcisions [5]. Socio-political factors include a division of opi-nion and a desire to avoid an appearance of religious intolerance [5]. Circumcision policy statements frequently exclude discussions of sexual, psychological, human rights, ethical, and legal issues [5]. Alleged prophylactic bene-fits of circumcision are exaggerated and risks are minimized. Circumcision policy statements from medi-cal societies, therefore, are poor sources of information about child circumcision and mis-leading to parents. The reality is much worse than the rosy picture presented by the policy statements.