Today, the Orthodox Union, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization applauded a California Superior Court ruling that orders the removal of a ballot question from the November 2011 San Francisco elections that would ban circumcision on anyone below eighteen. The Orthodox Union is part of a broad coalition headed up by the JCRC of San Francisco which includes the entire spectrum of the Jewish community, other communities of faith and prominent elected officials that opposes the proposed ban.

Organizers of the effort to ban circumcision vow to appeal the ruling, but this common sense decision, in which the court determined a ban by a city or locality is preempted by California state law, as only the state may regulate medical procedures, is an important first step to defeating the proposal. Besides Jews and Muslims, who would have their religious rights violated by such a ban, all parents would see their rights to raise children severely curtailed if such proposals can be made law.

Howie Beigelman, OU Director of State Affairs stated:

“Today’s ruling is win for religious liberty, a win for American values and a win for all San Franciscans. Heartened as we are by polls suggesting this measure will be resoundingly defeated at the ballot box if it ever gets there, we hope that courts taking up this appeal will affirm this ruling so that it never does.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)