To Cut Or Not To Cut? CDC Issues Draft Recommendations On Circumcision

It may be just a small flap of relatively lifeless skin — but the question of whether or not to remove it has long been the source of heated debate.

Of course, we're talking about circumcision — and the reaction to new draft recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is not actually telling parents to circumcise their baby boys, but it is saying that the health benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks and that doctors should discuss those benefits with parents.

Circumcision opponents say the guidelines will only encourage a practice that they call outdated, unnecessary and barbaric.

Carey Goldberg, co-host of WBUR's CommonHealth blog. She tweets @commonhealth.

Dr. Marvin Wang, circumcision expert and co-director of the newborn nurseries at Massachusetts General Hospital.

CommonHealth: New Pro-Circumcision Guidelines: Cutting Comments, Adolescent Choice