Editorial: Ban on circumcision is way over the line

I think it’s fair and modern to let children decide for themselves. The penis is a very important private part and people should decide for themselves.  what gets cut off there. Not to mention that genital cutting is still genital cutting, I don’t care what fancy word you have for it. Finally, the health benefits for the procedure are not fully explained or proven, which is why American Pediatric Associations do not recomend it.  BTW, This is a very important issue. Respect to human beings starts at day 1.

Sounds a little off, but seriously - what’s the worst that will happen if you let a boy keep his penis as nature intended it. Most of europe is uncircumcised, how come there is no AIDS epidemic there - in fact, there is more AIDS in the US. I think this is Jewish tribalism/ancientism (from a dual Israeli-American citizen, former Jew)

Think about it - it’s still genital cutting - without expressed consent from the victim. Men are being repressed sexually and won’t talk about it because in truth, their penises are too small and they don’t enjoy sex…ladies, testify!

The Jews can be anti-semites too. Aren’t arabs semites? My parents were Israeli and I had never heard so much hatred in my life until they talked about Arabs - or Orthodox Jews. Also, why is anti-semitic to respect children’s rights. NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT JEWS, other people mutilate genitals too.

If anyone would like to email me with their thoughts, feel free, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Did anyone think that Jon Stewart was going to be impartial on the subject?  Where was everybody, when female circumcision was banned in 1997?  If circumcision is really a religious right, where were you to defend Muslim religious freedom then?
Are the Russian Jews any less Jewish, because they don’t circumcise?  God bless the Bris Shalom.  It’s a much more humane way to bring a child into the world.

Did anyone think that Jon Stewart was going to be impartial on the subject?  Where was everybody, when female circumcision was banned in 1997?  If circumcision is really a religious right, where were you to defend Muslim religious freedom then?
Are the Russian Jews any less Jewish, because they don’t circumcise? For some of us, child genital cutting is far more ‘over the line’ than circumcision. God bless the Bris Shalom.  It’s a much more humane way to bring a child into the world.  Judaism changes over time.  Otherwise, menstruating women would still be outside the tent.

I am a Jewish parent who kept my sons whole. There is actually a growing movement of Jews, secular and religious, orthodox and liberal, choosing to not to circumcise our children. It is simply not ethical to permanently alter the body of a child as part of a religious ceremony that they have no say in. Not only is doing that unethical, it is actually entirely in keeping with Jewish ethics to allow a child the freedom of choice to make this decision for themselves when they are an adult. And as more and more Jews decide not to circumcise their sons, as more and more Jewish boys decide to remain intact, Judaism will grow, adapt, and change for the better, just like it has, just like we have on other issues like women rabbis, homosexuality etc. etc. This will not be easy for many Jews, but it is better for the boys involved and it really is the only moral stance at this time in history. It is wrong to cut children’s genitals in the name of “god” and culture. Period.

How can ensuring the equal rights of both male and female children be anti-semitic? The First Amendment not only provides the freedom of religion and expression, but it also protects people FROM religion, such as others forcing their religion on them. The First Amendment, as well as the right to security and bodily integrity are supposed to be universal rights, that are equally applied to all. The 14th amendment provides equal protection under the law, and the fact that we even HAVE a female genital cutting bill is flat out unconstitutional. If circumcision is such an important part of your son’s life when he becomes an adult, he will be more accepting of his rite of passage, rather than having it forced upon him at the request of his parents. Everybody in this country is protected and is allowed to freely express their religion, and having someone else’s religious beliefs forced upon them in the form of genital surgery violates their right to freedom of religion. The female genital cutting bill can be considered anti islamic, but the congress ruled that protecting anyone under the age of 18 from unneccessary bodily surgery is not in violation of the first amendment. If we truly are a land of equality, under the 14th amendment, Jewish boys can also choose be circumcised if he so chooses. How is preserving your son’s own choice in his own religion and faith being anti-semetic?

What’s next, a ban on religious training for kids? It’s bad enough that
governments get into our bedrooms, and now our private parts. Beware, this is just the beginning of bad laws to follow. What will they do to Parents who have their son’s circumcised… arrest them?

They made a similar law to this, it’s called the FGM Bill of 1996. Nobody here screamed for Islamic rights, nor did theu object. If anyone circumcises their daughter, regardless of their religion, yes, they would be thrown in jail. In fact, a man was sentenced to 10 years for doing that, and in some states you have to register as a sex offender. If the girl died, he would have been charged with murder.

Now, over 100 boys die in our country every year due to complications from circumcision, and are his parents charged with murder? No, of course not. It’s a parent’s choice to cut off part of their child if it’s a boy, but a federal offense if it’s a girl. Really, you’re just being hypocritical by yelling about “your religion” and “your rights” when you’re infringing upon your son’s religion and rights, not to mention, his body.

This measure to ban child circumcision is not “anti-Semitic.” Many of the supporters of the ban are ourselves Jewish, and we are working on behalf of Jewish boys to remain whole, to choose for themselves the nature and shape of their bodies and their religious practice.

The ban on circumcision of a normal minor will not eliminate the right of an informed adult to consent to circumcision for himself for personal preference, cultural conditioning, or religious affiliation. What it does is protect the rights of the child until he is old enough to protect himself or make such a personal decision for himself. With regard to freedom of religion, any child born in America is a citizen and protected by the US Constitution. If that child’s body is marked as a Muslim or Jew, his freedom of religion has been denied. So, this law will protect infants and children until they are old enough to make such important decisions for themselves about their own bodies.