A petition drive in San Francisco would place a ban on the circumcision of children on the ballot. Many religious groups – including Jewish, Muslim and Christian organizations – have vowed to challenge any such prohibition in court as a violation of religious freedom. The SF Examiner reports:
Abby Porth, the associate director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, resents the comparison [of circumcision to female genital mutilation].
“We do take this seriously,” Porth said. “We find it deeply offensive.”
…
Porth said the San Francisco InterFaith Council, which includes Muslim and Christian groups, will throw all its weight behind opposition to the measure. She said it will first pursue legal recourse that raises conflicts between the measure and constitutional rights of religious freedom, then a public affairs campaign will follow.
Courts have long recognized the right of families to raise their children according to their faith. That doesn't mean anything goes, of course. Lines have been drawn, in cases in which families insist on a faith-healing approach that endangers the life of a child, for example, rather than seeking needed medical care.
Could that protection of a child extend to the ancient religious tradition of circumcision? Should it? What do you think?
