Professor John Robertson OBA
From BBC London yesterday:
A coroner has warned that further babies could die unless the government introduces regulation of non-therapeutic male circumcision following the death of a six-month-old boy in west London. Non-therapeutic circumcision is the removal of the foreskin of male babies and young children for religious or cultural reasons, rather than medical reasons.
Mohamed Abdisamad was circumcised on 12 February 2023, by a circumciser who had been recommended to his parents and requested by them to perform the procedure on their son, the West London Coroner’s report said. The baby began showing symptoms of illness three to four days later and was taken to hospital on 19 February and died the same day.
He was taken to Hillingdon Hospital by ambulance where he went into cardiorespiratory arrest and was pronounced dead at 23:55 GMT. A jury inquest which concluded on 8 October 2025 found the medical cause of death to be an “invasive streptococcus pyogenes infection following male circumcision”.
This appalling tragedy made me wonder if the same was, in any way, possible in Scotland where there is also a population, smaller but still in the many thousands, where non-therapeutic circumcision of male babies and young children for religious or cultural reasons, rather than medical reasons seems likely to be practised.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which covers deaths registered in England and Wales, reported that between 2001 and 2024, there were 14 deaths where circumcision was mentioned in the cause of death text (often under surgical complication codes). Of these:7 were males under 18 (including infants and children). The other 7 were adults.
No examples could be found in official figures or in any media reports in Scotland. We all know how much the ‘Scottish’ MSM would love even one case.
The reasons are clear:
NHS Inform (official Scottish health information service): Explains that circumcision for religious reasons can be carried out by the NHS in Scotland if doctors assess it as in the child’s best interests, with guidelines on timing and safety.
https://www.nhsinform.scot/tests-and-treatments/surgical-procedures/male-circumcision/
Medical Protection Society (MPS) article on non-therapeutic circumcision in the UK: Specifically notes the Scottish policy allowing religious circumcision under general anaesthesia by paediatric surgeons in NHS centres.
https://www.medicalprotection.org/uk/articles/non-therapeutic-circumcision-uk
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 