A Danish group says petition seeking to set a minimum age of 18 for non-medical male circumcision in the country has gathered the required 50,000 signatures to send the proposal to Parliament for debate later this year.
Lena Nyhus of the group Intact Denmark told The Associated Press on Saturday that her children’s welfare organization believes “we need to respect a person’s right to decide for themselves” on a possible circumcision when they become an adult.
The ritual of removing an infant boy’s foreskin is common among Jews and Muslims for religious reasons.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says the health benefits of male circumcision outweigh the risks but not by enough to recommend universal male circumcision. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says doctors should educate infant boys’ parents about the health benefits of circumcision, which it says reduces the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
A recent poll commissioned by Danish TV2 broadcaster found that 83 percent of respondents supported such an age limit on circumcising boys.
However, the proposal is unlikely to pass since none of Denmark’s main political parties support it.
Earlier this year, Icelandic lawmakers initially backed a plan to ban circumcisions for minors and to give those who performed the procedure possible jail sentences. But after an outpouring of criticism, including from European Jewish leaders, the proposal was dropped.
(AP)
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6 Responses
Something’s rotten Denmark
Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark if they make such a law to limit circumcision.
“However, the proposal is unlikely to pass since none of Denmark’s main political parties support it.”
So this is a non-issue.
This is all part of G-D’s kindness to His people. There is no Mitzvah to live in Denmark. There is a Mitzvah to live in Israel. Jews all over the Galut are being told to return to Israel. Listen to the message and return with your life, dignity and wealth. If you stay too long you will have none.
One can expect a growth of such anti-semitic legislation in most western countries. Such laws are also directed against Muslims, and due to the current Arab-Israeli conflict, we are unable to work closely with Muslims to make a united front against the secular fanatics.
The YWN headline sounds as if the government of Denmark has already banned bris milah. The article says about 50,000 Danes – not the Danish government – is seeking to present the issue to the government. This is too important an issue for sloppy headlines.