Furor over Proposed Ban of Circumcision in Denmark

arutz 7 ^ | 11-20-08 | staff

[Nachum]

(IsraelNN.com) Jews and Muslims in Denmark are in an uproar about a bill to ban circumcision for boys under the age of 15, according to Yediot Ahronot. The country's National Council for Children and Ethics Council have both endorsed the proposal and only the parliament's medical committee can prevent it from being heard.

The National Council for Children argued that, "Circumcision is the irreversible damage to a child's body before he is given the chance to object." It also said the ban was a matter of equality, in the wake of a five-year-old ban on female circumscion.

Denmark's Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner – who is also a certified mohel (circumciser) in the community – told Yediot Ahronot, "The comparison between circumcision and the intentional mutilation of the female sex organ in certain societies is simply complete nonsense." He added, "If the law forbidding circumcision is ever passed in Denmark, Jews will have to leave the place they have been living in for hundreds of years."

Judaism specifies circumcsion when a boy is eight days old, unless medically dictated otherwise. Islam does not specify a date, but allows it through puberty.

[MeanWestTexan]

I am happy to have had a bris on the 8th day; would think it much more likely to be painful later.

[ari-freedom]

All your kids must now belong to the State.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> I am happy to have had a bris on the 8th day; would think it much more likely to be painful later.

Likewise, and it is alot easier to keep sanitary.

I think the pain thing is probably the whole idea behind banning it until age 15: fewer circumcisions are likely to occur if it jolly hurts.

Here in New Zealand circumcision is an exception rather than the rule, and for some reason doctors try to talk parents out of having their infant boys circumcised.

[davisfh]

I would encourage a compromise here. Why not practice circumcision with pinking shears. Pinking shears will remove a substantial amount of the prepuce, thereby lessening the propensity to disease while, at the same time, leaving enough of the prepuce to serve as ornamentation. I believe that it would be very attractive and could very well serve to stimulate conversation, e.g., “Mine is frillier than yours.”

[Liberty Valance]

Male circumcision is not something any government should be involved in.

[Cicero]

What next?

The suicide of western civilization continues.

[Cicero]

For some reason is right. On the whole, it’s healthier to be circumcized than not. I would say that the positives outweigh the negatives.

[madison10]

So the same people that worry about painful circumcisions think it’s just find to yank babies from their mothers’ wombs. No pain there. Yeah, right.

[Martin Tell]

When my son was born in Denmark we did not have him circumcised. The Danish medical system is so unfamiliar with the procedure that I concluded it would be unduly risky and not necessary (my son's grandmother (my mother) was initially horrified but she got over it).

I heard from a fellow American ex-pat how they handled his son's circumcision, and I decided it just was not worth it.

That said, th Danish obsession with equality is going too far. There should at least be an exception for religious reasons (Jews).

BTW, having lived in Denmark, I would guess the idea is more along the lines of some boys should not look different (circumscised), rather than the idea of banning female circumcision means males must be banned as well. The Danes are very big on the idea that no one should stand out.

[jwalsh07]

Not good enough for the state to be Mommy and Daddy, now they have to be the mohel as well?

[jwalsh07]

The Danes are very big on the idea that no one should stand out.

I could but I won't.

[TruthWillWin]

It probably won't be that many years until circumcision is rarely performed anyhow. I haven't seen numbers recently but 4 or 5 years ago the majority of males (at least over 50%) were not being circumcised at birth. 50 years ago the number having it done was over 90%.

Studies have shown that the unnecessary removal of part of natures design desensitizes the male organ and deminishes sexual pleasure.

[sdillard]

It’s a convenant with God, if one is Jewish. It doesn’t matter how it looks.

[antiRepublicrat]

All your kids must now belong to the State.

We already don't allow female circumcision.

[wastedyears]

Oh no, that doesn’t even seem humane.

[NCjim]

The phrase Frilly Dilly comes to mind...

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

My first child was born in the UK under ‘National Health Care’. He was not circumcised....as I was told it is not currently performed there. We couldn’t afford to go ‘privately’ to have it done at the time.

[Procyon]

The suicide of western civilization continues

Actually, secular circumcision is rare in Western civilization, practiced only in North America. In Europe only Muslims and Jews undergo the procedure.

[Joe 6-pack]

“Mine is frillier than yours.”

Kind of a proprietary Danish French tickler...?