To hope that we can follow Iceland in banning male circumcision

[GladAllOver]

It really is time that this nasty practice is stopped.
www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/18/iceland-ban-male-circumcision-first-european-country

I fully support religious freedom but not when religion is being used to justify cutting bits off of babies unnecessarily. There are plenty of bits of the religious texts both religions choose to ignore when it suits them because they don't fit with the modern world (same as Christians!).
They can still practice their faith without doing this.

It's integral to the Jewish and Muslim faiths and goes back millennia. Banning it to fit 21st century sensibilities is wrong on so many levels I don't know where to start.

Lots of things used to be integral to Christianity and we no longer do them or the law no longer supports them being done because times change. There are aspects of religions that are 2000+ years old that are not the slightest bit relevant to the world today. Circumcision is one of them. It may have been acceptable back in the day to chop bits off perfectly healthy children but in these more modern times we know that children should have autonomy over their own bodies.

Bearing in mind that the UK hasn't carried out a single prosecution for FGM, how successful would such legislation be? Not that it would ever be passed here as there are many Jews and Muslims in highly influential positions in public life.

Isn't it one of those things that's supposed to have arisen because of how/where people lived back then? So dusty, sandy, hot, few baths = things getting trapped and causing problems. the same way they think certain meats became seen as unclean, because in a world without fridges or any cool places, you would get v sick from eating them, and some meat/seafood is more prone to it than others?

Has anyone called anti Semitism yet?

There should be no excuse, religious, cultural or any other, for performing non medically advised permanently body changing surgery on a person unable to consent. It’s very simple.

Religious persecuting I have heard it all now. There was a thread about this yesterday and so many posters came on to say their boys had it due to medical need and watching the child going through it, recover from it they couldn't understand why people chose to inflict the mutilation on a baby. When the man is over 18 he can choose to have it done.

But why aren't faiths where circumcision is "integral" doing more to move away from the practice? Symbolic circumcision when they're babies where nothing is actually cut off the child and then once the child reaches the age of medical consent they can do the real thing if they so wish.

Whilst I disagree with the practice for religious reasons rather than medical necessity, I don’t think making it illegal in the Uk would stop it. It would just go underground as FGM here has always been.

I can’t believe in the 21st century that otherwise intelligent people have their children’s genitalia mutilated because of blind faith and tradition and yet they do. It’s depressing.

Fgm has been done for hundreds of years in some religions but that's illegal now, boys should be protected aswell.

The rights of the child (not to undergo unnecessary and invasive medical procedures) override the adult's religious choices. Once the child reaches adulthood they can make their own choices.

I agree it should be stopped, non medical is child abuse.

'There should be no excuse, religious, cultural or any other, for performing non medically advised permanently body changing surgery on a person unable to consent. It’s very simple.'

Totally agree. It's a safeguarding issue, and every child deserves the same level of protection, irrespective of their parents' religious beliefs

Cases of the fgm are coming out though, girl complain to her doctor about it... Once she had the law to protect her, babies get seen act some point medically, it can get checked and seen what age do they normally do it? Just introduce checks. As part of medical normal routine ie babies get weighed without nappy... It's seen report

Indeed lottie.

What if some people odd balloons religion springs up to say a child must loose an eye..or the issues with African witch doctors abusing small children they belive are possessed.

All children must be protected by our laws if anything it's a wonder it hadn't already been brought in n

blue its cultural preference to do FGM does that make it okay?

FGM and male circumcision differ wildly both in purpose and practice though.

I’m not sure what I think about the latter, but some of the comments on here are downright offensive.

My dh was circumcised, it was done when he was around 18 months - 2 years old for medical reasons at a NHS along side having a testicle wired into place, I don't see an issue with this but I could be missing the point. If it was banned there would be so men like my dh who would be in a lot of pain and worse off. Oh and we are not Jewish or Muslim.

Presumably medically required circumcision is not banned.

Circumcision for sound medical reasons is totally different to circumcising because of religious beliefs

“I’m not sure what I think about the latter, but some of the comments on here are downright offensive.”

Really? I hope you’ve reported them.

Ok I should of read the article first medical reasons wasn't be criticised sorry, as you were everyone.

Medical reasons would still stand Daydreamer. It's more for those getting it done because they want to. Like how the doctors would remove a leg if they had to, not gonna do it to a newborn cos you said you prefer it.

Sorry day dreamer, cross posted

I agree that making it illegal might drive some people underground, but it would start the process of making it unacceptable in a modern society.
It may take many years for a ban to become totally effective, but that is no excuse to avoid starting the process now.

@BertrandRussell