To approve of a German courts decision re circumcision

[SlipperyNipple]

Apologies if this has already been covered.

I am Jewish by descent but an an agnostic. I think the time has come to say that being religious is not an excuse to carry out mutilation of small boys.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/27/circumcision-ruling-germany-muslim-jewish?newsfeed=true

Obviously Female circumcision is already illegal but the same protection should be given to boys.

YANBU!!! It's barbaic! People get away with too much in the name of faith and we're all supposed to be respectful. Well some lines you just don't cross and lobbing off body parts would be one of them.

Totally agree. It's assault or even GBH on a baby.

I do find it surprising that circumcision is not more controversial in the UK. I also approve of the decision.

I'm not going to defend male circumcision, but it is really not appropriate to compare it to female genital mutilation, which involves cutting off the clitoris, cutting off the labia and in extreme cases sewing up the vagina.

yanbu it is barbaric and outdated how can anyone argue in its defence, it is forced mutilation. cant believe it is still legal.

Agree entirely, I have never understood why it is so acceptable

YANBU. No one should be cutiing bits off of anyone else without their expressed permission.

Yanbu, I've always wondered how this is still allowed in our so-called civilised society. Chopping off body parts of children in the name of religion should be banned here as well, let's hope we follow suit.

I think you can compare you are still mutilating the genitals regardless of how much gets cut off without that persons consent

It shouldn't be compared to FGM, but the idea that it should be allowed because it's not as barbaric as that is just daft.

"A judge at a Cologne court said that the circumcision of minors went against a child's interests because it led to a physical alteration of the body, and because people other than the child were determining its religious affiliation."

The second argument is surely a moot point. YANBU, however.

I know female circumcision is much worse mutilation but NO mutilation should be acceptable.

I think this sums it up the best from the Guardian article:

Putzke, who is a leading voice in the discussion about circumcision and the law, welcomed the decision: "After the knee-jerk indignation has subsided, hopefully a discussion will kick off about how much religiously motivated violence against children a society is ready to tolerate."

A quote from the article:

Women's rights groups and social policy makers also condemned the decision, but for the reason that it would have the effect of putting male and female circumcision on the same footing

This is quite shocking to me. So society shouldn't protect men because women get mistreated as well? It's this sort of thing that gets feminism a bad name, and I say that as a feminist! The idea that boys shouldn't be afforded the basic right to not have pieces of their genitalia chopped off because worse things are done to women is quite offensive actually.

Completely agree. THat photoas is heartbreaking

Yanbu. Circumcision is barbaric, good for the court.

But its not just done for religious reasons is it? in the USA it's common for hygiene and vanity reasons is it not?

One should say "perceived hygiene" reasons. There is no hygenic benefit from circumcision.

I was thinking about Europe in my original post but I think the hygiene reasons are pretty dubious. Also nobody is saying that boys can't choose this for themselves when they are older.

Why anybody would do it for vanity reasons is a mystery to me.

It's also not more hygienic.

Yes- it's very popular in the USA, mainly for non-religious reasons. I have American friends of no religion who have had their sons done at birth

Re hygiene - the risk of cervical cancer in the partners of circumcised men is reduced although imho it's not the duty of one person to be mutilated for the benefit of another.

Because Americans do it is no justification for European countries to allow it. I don't want capital punishment either. Lets lead the way here.

Totally agree that it's a barbaric practice and should be stopped.

nightowlmostly I totally agree with you. I was utterly shocked and disgusted by that response from so called feminists. Totally repulsive.

YANBU

I always wonder why it's the circumcised men that defend the "law" - is it because they don't want to admit that they've been mutilated against their will?