[flagged]

> subjecting newborn boys

It's an elective procedure. No one has made it mandatory.

> by giving some disease prevention excuse that is minimally effective at best and bogus at worst.

A reported 10x reduction in UTIs does not seem "minimal."

> if it’s ethical to dock a dog’s tail or clip its ears because you think it looks better

Usually it's done for working dogs to reduce their chance of injury. Even in countries where the practice is fully illegal exceptions are made for working dogs.

> But for a newborn? Well, that’s just how we do things.

We tend to respect peoples religions. Judaism, Islam and some branches of Christianity require it for males. We accept the practice for newborns under the logic that it will be less traumatic and less risky than doing it when they come of age later in life.