Circumcisions. 76% off.

Is Groupon legal for doctors? asks Deniza Gertsberg at KevinMD.com:

Some doctors see Groupon as just another marketing opportunity and offer discounts on elective or cosmetic procedures like liposuction and veneers. Others have rejected it as an unprofitable. Still others view advertisement on social sites that require customers to prepay for services as borderline unethical, citing concerns that there is additional pressure for patients to go through with a procedure when they are having second thoughts.

Michael Segal, a South Florida health-care lawyer, says Groupon may be outright illegal:

Because the websites keep as much as half of the patient’s payment, health attorneys say the online discounts could be interpreted as the practitioners splitting their fees or paying kickbacks to find new patients, which is banned by Florida and federal laws.

And The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has issued a formal statement

that condemns the marketing of medical procedures such as breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and other popular plastic surgery procedures on online discount websites like Groupon.

Former president of the BAAPS states, “This trivialization and commoditization of medical procedures is appalling. It seems to have come down to the level of loyalty cards, money-off vouchers, and even competition prizes.”

One might wonder, then, at what Groupon Phillippines are apparently offering:

(Note: this Deal is available right now on their website – live for just over three hours more. The Cosmedics Treatment Centre referenced is a real business. This is a real thing.)

The Groupon site offers:

“Cool things to do in the Philippines at unbeatable prices!”

Just like a triple backflip, performing a circumcision on oneself requires a lot of mental preparation, is very risky, and cannot easily be repeated. Have a trained professional snip the tip with today’s Groupon: P1800 (P7500 value) for a circumcision at Cosmedics Treatment Center.

• The Groupon coupon is valid for 3 months.
• Limit 1 Groupon per person. (Most men would not want to have 76% of their foreskin removed twice, I feel.)
• May purchase multiple Groupons to be given as gifts. (A truly … unique present to the man of your dreams, I’m sure you’ll agree.)

Circumcisions. 76% off. twitpic.com/9ohsag

— Annraoi (@AnnraoiOD) May 23, 2012

RT @TheCircDecision: Male circumcision can reduce chances of contracting #HIV by up to 60% >> I’m taking out my potato peeler as you tweet

— Annraoi (@AnnraoiOD) May 23, 2012

(This is actually true. I mean about HIV, not about the potato peeler.)

(As far as I know.)

@EyeEdinburgh @AnnraoiOD @GrouponPH ooh dear! ‘76% off’ what exactly? Sounds a little extreme….

— Tina Finch (@Siege_Perilous) May 23, 2012

@Siege_Perilous Extreme? 100% is a proper job.@EyeEdinburgh @GrouponPH twitpic.com/9ohsag

— Annraoi (@AnnraoiOD) May 23, 2012

@EyeEdinburgh @AnnraoiOD @GrouponPH Oh dear; I SO wish I hadn’t asked the queston:D

— Tina Finch (@Siege_Perilous) May 23, 2012

@EyeEdinburgh Have you ever contemplated circumcision?@GrouponPH @Siege_Perilous @TheCircDecision

— Annraoi (@AnnraoiOD) May 23, 2012

@Siege_Perilous …sometimes better not. Time for bed, said Zebedee. @AnnraoiOD @GrouponPH

— EdinburghEye (@EyeEdinburgh) May 23, 2012

@AnnraoiOD Well, sort of, but only if you assume circumcision removed a lot more than 100% telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/15… @Siege_Perilous @GrouponPH

— EdinburghEye (@EyeEdinburgh) May 23, 2012

@EyeEdinburgh I’m sure Zebidee had a few square centimetres of his foreskin removed.@Siege_Perilous @GrouponPH @thecircdecision

— Annraoi (@AnnraoiOD) May 23, 2012

Good night, Twitter, everywhere.