October 1, 2022
Circumcision opponents, who claim to support child safety, have a seemingly paradoxical aversion to medical restraints. Feigning ignorance of the true purpose of medical restraints, they claim that these devices are used in order to prevent a helpless infant from fighting back against the medical professionals performing his circumcision. It's likely that all intactivists know the true purpose of medical restraints, but they are just trying to poison the well.
Medical restraints are used to restrain child and adult patients during surgeries. Restraints are used to keep a patient in a proper position to provide anesthesiologists and surgeons with unobstructed access to the surgical site. Restraints limit a patient's movement in order to prevent accidental injuries during the procedure. Circumcision is just one of the pediatric procedures that involve the use of restraints. "Infants and young children are commonly restrained while undergoing simple medical procedures such as venepuncture or immunisation..." Restraints may even be used during dental treatment for certain patients.
An anesthesiologist explained that for surgeries that involve general anesthesia, especially with muscle paralysis, the patient must be immobilized. For example, any movement during eye surgery would be catastrophic.
Intactivists love to promote stories of medical accidents, including a 2014 incident in Geneva, Switzerland in which a doctor accidentally cut off the penis of a 4 year-old boy. The boy's father began taking photos of the procedure. "As the doctor prepared to slice the boy’s foreskin, [the patient] moved for the photograph, causing the doctor to slice off his penis." This tragic accident could have been prevented if the boy had been immobilized in a medical restraint.
