Monday, July 4, 2011

Defend the rights of infants: support a ban on circumcision

There's a big brouhaha here in the Bay Area over a proposed ballot initiative that would ban circumcision. Jewish and Muslim groups have filed suit claiming that only the state and not a city can regulate the actions of medical professionals.  The purpose of such a suit would mean that if what it is asserting is correct, then the proposal would be unconstitutional because if it exempted medical professionals from the ban it would then only affect those who perform such genital mutilation as part of a religious ritual and this would violate their rights to "freely practice their religion."

But people are prevented from "freely" practicing their religion all the time.  Human sacrifice is not permitted.  Polygomy is not permitted.  What they are saying is that the practices of religions that society accepts as legitimate are protected including genital mutilation.

But what about infants?  Shouldn't we protect them?  They have no choice as to whether they want their foreskin lopped off or not.  And I for one don't believe any of the stuff about a god telling  humans to sacrifice their children or cut off parts of their children's bodies---it's simply nonsense. What sort of god would demand such cruelty? And what about female circumcision?  This is a horribly violent practice.

It is correct to describe the practice as genital mutilation of a child.  If an adult wants to cut off his foreskin to please some supernatural force, so be it.  But a child should be protected from such a cruel and brutal violation of its rights.

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