You probably heard about the other big decision the city Board of Health made today, but may have missed another, less widely-reported one. Remember the controversy surrounding a circumcision practice employed in certain “ultra-Orthodox” Jewish communities in which a Rabbi sucks the blood off of an infant’s newly-circumcised penis? Aside from the more obvious ways in which this is weird and gross, you should know that since 2004, there have been 11 reported cases of herpes simplex virus in newborn boys that likely stemmed from this type of circumcision. Two of them were fatal.
If you’re hoping I’m going to tell you that the practice was outlawed, I apologize. The Board of Health simply ruled that from now on, Rabbis must obtain parental consent, which, apparently, they didn’t need before. The worst part: according to the AP, “defenders of the practice said they will ignore the new rule.” You read that right–Rabbis who defend the circumcision method will continue to use it, even if the babies’ parents don’t want them to.
(Photo: Adam Fagen/Flickr)
Yes, it's a disgusting practice — but the rabbis aren't saying they'll do it against the wills of the parents, as you seem to have conjured up. They're saying they won't bother with the paperwork. Parents who are having this done (i.e., Orthodox Jews) are fully aware of the procedure when they hire the rabbi to do it (no, it is not forced upon them by the Jewish community).
But it's the will of the one being cut that really matters. Cologne rightfully decided that any cutting has to wait until the boy is old enough to express his own wishes. NYC? Human rights don't really count here.