In response to the rising backlash against a proposed initiative that would have made circumcision for minors a criminal act, the main proponent of the measure announced her intention to withdraw the measure Monday.
Jena Troutman said that it was never her intention to get into the “religious aspect” of the circumcision debate. Jewish groups feel the initiative is an attack on their religion, which calls for infants to be circumcised.
“You’ve got to do what’s right for the city that you’re in and I think that I could do something much better that’s more representative of what we want locally to inform parents that the procedure is not recommended by the National Academy of Pediatrics,” Troutman said.
Troutman submitted the original petition, entitled the Santa Monica MGM Bill Ballot Initiative, on May 19. She would have had 180 days after publishing information about the bill to collect over 6,000 signatures.
Had she done that, the measure — which would have made circumcising a child under the age of 18 a misdemeanor offense punishable by a $1,000 fine or a year in jail — would have gone on the November 2012 ballot.
However, the hue and cry raised within the religious community, and what she felt was a misrepresentation of her goals by news media, caused Troutman to seek another way of furthering her real agenda.
“It’s about educating parents that they have options,” Troutman said. “That’s the goal.”
“I’m not a politician, just a mom who cares,” Troutman said.
Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, of Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica, called the decision “wonderful news.”
“I’m stunned, but pleasantly so, because it sought to make circumcision criminal in Santa Monica, which was pretty horrible,” Comess-Daniels said.
“It’s not an easy thing to take a public stance and retract it,” Comess-Daniels said. “I give her credit for that, and I hope it’s the last we see of this.”
Mayor Richard Bloom, who announced the news on his Facebook page shortly after Troutman called him to tell him of her decision, said that when the initiative is formally off the table, it will be time to fight the San Francisco version.
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5 Responses
B”H! But we still have to daven because the seeds of doubt were planted. Hashem Yishmor!
Baruch Hashem. One down, San Fransicko to go.
What a wonderful present for Shavuous
Is she for real, saying the goal is to educate. If that was the case, why create a law that would criminalize a bris. Amazing how people can lie with a straight face.
Wrong. This is not about “educating parents that they have options.” Posters, flyers, and videos could do that. This was a legal restriction on an “option.”
Disingenuous to say the least.