Editing Circumcision and law (section)

=== Australia ===
The [[Royal Australasian College of Physicians]] (RACP) finds that routine infant circumcision is not warranted in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] and that, since circumcision involves physical injury, physicians ought to raise and consider with parents and considered the option of leaving circumcision until later, when the boy is old enough to make a decision for himself:<ref>{{Cite book |title=Circumcision of infant males |publisher=[[Royal Australasian College of Physicians]] |year=2010 |location=Sydney, Australia}}</ref>

{{blockquote | After reviewing the currently available evidence, the [[Royal Australasian College of Physicians|RACP]] believes that the frequency of diseases modifiable by circumcision, the level of protection offered by circumcision and the complication rates of circumcision do not warrant routine infant circumcision in Australia and New Zealand. ... Since circumcision involves physical risks which are undertaken for the sake of psychosocial benefits or debatable medical benefit to the child, ... The option of leaving circumcision until later, when the boy is old enough to make a decision for himself does need to be raised with parents and considered.| author = {{Flagicon|AUS}} [[Royal Australasian College of Physicians]]}}

In 1993, a non-binding research paper of the Queensland Law Reform Commission (''Circumcision of Male Infants'') concluded that "On a strict interpretation of the assault provisions of the [[Queensland]] Criminal Code, routine circumcision of a male infant could be regarded as a criminal act," and that doctors who perform circumcision on male infants may be liable to civil claims by that child at a later date.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QLRC: Circumcision of Male Infants |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/legal/QLRC/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040823080919/http://www.cirp.org/library/legal/QLRC/ |archive-date=23 August 2004 |access-date=12 September 2004 |website=www.cirp.org}}</ref> No prosecutions have occurred in Queensland.

In 1999, a [[Perth]] man won A$360,000 in damages after a doctor admitted he botched a circumcision operation at birth which left the man with a badly deformed penis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Man Receives $360,000 Compensation for Childhood Circumcision |url=http://www.cirp.org/news/perth1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114011706/http://www.cirp.org/news/perth1/ |archive-date=14 January 2019 |access-date=19 January 2008 |publisher=cirp.org}}</ref>

In 2002, Queensland police charged a father with grievous bodily harm for having his two sons, then aged nine and five, circumcised without the knowledge and against the wishes of the mother. The mother and father were in a family court dispute. The charges were dropped when the police prosecutor revealed that he did not have all family court paperwork in court and the magistrate refused to grant an adjournment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mother's Fury as Boys Circumcised |url=http://www.cirp.org/news/thesundaymail08-11-02/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194635/http://www.cirp.org/news/thesundaymail08-11-02/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=19 January 2008 |publisher=cirp.org}}</ref>

Cosmetic circumcision for newborn males is currently banned in all Australian public hospitals, South Australia being the last state to adopt the ban in 2007; the procedure was not forbidden from being performed in private hospitals.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pengelley |first=J |date=12 November 2007 |title=SA to ban most circumcisions in state hospitals |work=The Advertiser |url=http://www.news.com.au/national/sa-to-ban-most-circumcisions-in-state-hospitals/story-e6frfkvr-1111114853797 |url-status=live |access-date=7 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226170054/http://www.news.com.au/national/sa-to-ban-most-circumcisions-in-state-hospitals/story-e6frfkvr-1111114853797 |archive-date=26 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=12 November 2007 |title=Public hospitals ban circumcision |work=The Australian |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22744548-5006787,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112225609/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C25197%2C22744548-5006787%2C00.html |archive-date=12 November 2007}}</ref> In the same year, the Tasmanian President of the [[Australian Medical Association]], Haydn Walters, stated that they would support a call to ban circumcision for non-medical, non-religious reasons.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 December 2007 |title=Doctors back call for circumcision ban |work=ABC News |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/09/2113665.htm |access-date=11 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213210554/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/09/2113665.htm |archive-date=13 February 2010}}</ref> In 2009, the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute released its Issues Paper investigating the law relating to male circumcision in Tasmania, it "highlights the uncertainty in relation to whether doctors can legally perform circumcision on infant males".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Male circumcision |url=http://www.law.utas.edu.au/reform/malecircumcision.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606212132/http://www.law.utas.edu.au/reform/malecircumcision.htm |archive-date=6 June 2009 |access-date=2 June 2009 |publisher=Tasmanian Law Reform Institute}}</ref>

The Tasmania Law Reform Institute released its recommendations for reform of Tasmanian law relative to male circumcision on 21 August 2012.<ref>Tasmanian Law Reform Institute.''[http://www.law.utas.edu.au/reform/documents/CircumcisionFinal.pdf Non Therapeutic Male Circumcision] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831193618/http://www.law.utas.edu.au/reform/documents/CircumcisionFinal.pdf |date=31 August 2012 }}''. Report No. 17, August 2012</ref> The report makes fourteen recommendations for reform of Tasmanian law relative to male circumcision.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marshall|first=Warwick|title=Tasmanian report calls for groundbreaking reform of circumcision law|url=http://theconversation.com/tasmanian-report-calls-for-groundbreaking-reform-of-circumcision-law-9105|access-date=2022-08-01|website=The Conversation|date=5 September 2012 |language=en}}</ref>