COPENHAGEN: Danish doctors come out against infant male genital cutting

The Local (Denmark)
December 5, 2016

Danish doctors come out against circumcision

The Danish Medical Association (Lægeforeningen) has recommended that no boys under the age of 18 be circumcised in Denmark.

The association released its recommendation on Friday, saying that circumcision should be “an informed, personal choice” that young men should make for themselves.

In a press release, the group said that when parents have their male children circumcised, it robs the boys of the ability to make decisions about their own bodies and their own cultural and religious beliefs.

“To be circumcised should be an informed, personal choice. It is most consistent with the individual’s right to self-determination that parents not be allowed to make this decision but that it is left up to the individual when he has come of age,” Lise Møller, the chairwoman of the doctors’ association’s ethics board, said.

Lægeforeningen said that male circumcision carries a risk of complications and should only be performed on children when there is a documented medical need.

In making its recommendation, the doctors’ association stopped short of calling for a legal ban on male circumcision, which is legal but relatively rare in Denmark.

“We have discussed it thoroughly, also in our ethics committee. We came to the conclusion that it is difficult to predict the consequences of a ban – both for the involved boys, who could for example face bullying or unauthorized procedures with complications – and for the cultural and religious groups they belong to,” Møller said.

The Danish Health and Medicines Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen) estimates that somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 circumcisions are performed in Denmark each year, primarily on Jewish and Muslim boys.

The majority of those procedures occur outside of the public health system and are done in religious ceremonies in the child's home or at private clinics.

There are thought to be an unknown number of circumcisions carried out each year that are not reported. Last year it was revealed that the State Serum Institute (SSI) had kept a database of circumcisions for 19 months despite never receiving legal authority to do so from the Danish Data Protection Agency (Datatilsynet).

That illegally-kept database was deleted in August 2015 but the Health Ministry announced on Monday that beginning in 2017 all circumcisions, regardless of where they take place, will need to be reported to Denmark's national patient registry (Landspatientregistret).

According to a major 2007 study by the World Health Organization, roughly 30 percent of the global male population is circumcised. Of those, roughly two thirds are practising Muslims, while 0.8 percent are Jews.

Male circumcision regularly pops up as the subject of debate in Denmark and polls have shown that upwards of 87 percent of Danes have expressed support for banning the practise on boys under the age of 18.

Female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation (FGM), is illegal in Denmark.

COPENHAGEN: Government claims it is a human right to cut (male) babies' genitals

Business Insider
June 16, 2016

Denmark defends circumcision as a human right - even though 75% are against it

by Vilhelm Carlström
Even though a large majority of Danes are against the circumcision of boys, and even though the circumcision of girls is strictly prohibited in Denmark, the government has now officially accepted that it's a human right for parents to circumcise their sons.

The Local reports that a YouGov survey from 2014 showed that 74% of Danes were against the circumcision of boys, while only 10% supported the practise. Despite that, about 1000-2000 boys ar circumcised each year in Denmark, according to the CPH Post.

Since 2014, the matter has been reviewed but without much to show for it.

In 2015, Denmark decided to delete its registry of circumcised individuals, reports the Local. Now, in a report to the United Nations the Danish government officially accepts an Egyptian convention which recognizes circumcision as a human right, writes CPH Post.

The basis is that circumcision of boys is rarely associated with medical complications, when performed under medical supervision [this is equally true of the "circumcision" of girls in Indonesia and Malaysia], and that it's viewed as a religious expression and therefore falls under the freedom of religion right.

Circumcision of boys will therefore remain legal as it complies with Danish law and is carried out by a doctor.

Male circumcision can lead to a more problematic sex life. 
Contrary to claims that circumcision in males is unproblematic, however, a Danish study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in 2011 finds that circumcision leads to frequent orgasm difficulties in Danish men. The study also finds that women who are the sexual partners of circumcised men also have significantly higher orgasm difficulties, more problems with painful intrcourse (dyspareunia), and more often feel a sense a incomplete fulfillment of sexual needs.

COPENHAGEN: Infant male genital cutting may increase autism risk

Daily Mail
January 9, 2015

Circumcised boys may be more likely to develop autism and ADHD by the age of 10, study claims  

• The findings hold regardless of cultural background, say researchers
• They suggest the pain caused by circumcision may be partly to blame
• This may in turn affect how the brain develops and reacts to stress
• Study looked at 340,000 boys born in Denmark between 1994 and 2003 
• But experts have urged caution over the 'extremely speculative findings'

by Anna Hodgekiss 
Circumcision before the age of five can double a boy's risk of developing autism, controversial research suggests.
 
Scientists believe the finding may be linked to stress caused by the pain of the procedure.
 
The study of more than 340,000 boys in Denmark found that circumcision raised the overall chances of an autism spectrum disorder before the age of 10 by 46 per cent.
 
But if circumcision took place before the age of five it doubled the risk.
Circumcision also appeared to increase the likelihood of boys from non-Muslim families developing hyperactivity disorder. 
 

Regardless of cultural background, circumcised boys may run a greater risk of developing autism and ADHD, a study has claimed

 

The research, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, examined more than 340,000 boys born in Denmark between 1994 and 2003.
 
At the age of nine, their health was tracked - and almost 5,000 cases of ASD were diagnosed.
 
Professor Morten Frisch of the Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, who led the research, said: 'Our investigation was prompted by the combination of recent animal findings linking a single painful injury to lifelong deficits in stress response...and a study showing a strong, positive correlation between a country's neonatal male circumcision rate and its prevalence of ASD in boys.
 
He added: 'Today it is considered unacceptable practice to circumcise boys without proper pain relief.
 
'But none of the most common interventions used to reduce circumcision pain completely eliminates it and some boys will endure strongly painful circumcisions.'
 
The study goes on to discuss how painful experiences in babies have been shown - both in animal and human studies - to have a long-term effect on pain perception.
 
This is a characteristic often encountered among children with autism, they add.  
 
Professor Frisch said: 'Given the widespread practice of circumcision in infancy and childhood around the world, our findings should prompt other researchers to examine the possibility that circumcision trauma in infancy or early childhood might carry an increased risk of serious neurodevelopmental and psychological consequences.
[The paper goes on to spend  more space on critique and rebuttal than the detail of the study. This never happens with pro-circumcision studies, which are reported uncritically, with benefits often exaggerated and caveats ignored.}
 
However experts have urged caution over the findings.
 
Professor Jeremy Turk, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist at Southwark Child & Adolescent Mental Health Neurodevelopmental Service, said: 'The findings of this research, while interesting, need to be considered carefully - one cannot draw very strong conclusions from the data. 
 
'This is not a causal study, but instead compares data sets and looks for correlations. 
 
'While this is a valid way of doing a study, it means that we must be careful about any implications.
 
'For example, many cases of autism are missed until children are older and as there are relatively few cases of autism this could easily skew the data.
 
'Furthermore, there are many potentially confounding variables which could explain raised ASD rates, which the authors do not explore or account for.
 
'Finally, I have some issues with the premise in that their speculations regarding early pain as a cause of autism are, to say the least, highly speculative. 
 
And Dr Rosa Hoekstra, lecturer in psychology at the Open University, said: 'I think this is an extremely speculative study. 
 
'The study is purely based on register data and takes a registered autism diagnosis at face value, without considering cultural or social factors affecting the likelihood of an (early) autism diagnosis. 
 

The researchers suggest the pain caused by circumcision may be partly to blame, in turn affecting how the brain develops and reacts to stress

 

'Even in a high income country like Denmark not all children with autism are detected and given a suitable autism diagnosis at an early age (the age under study in this paper). 
 
She added: 'An entirely different but in my view much more plausible explanation is as follows: Boys with symptoms of autism who undergo circumcision by a medical professional may have their symptoms recognised as autism more often, and at an earlier age, than boys who are not circumcised and who may therefore fly under the radar of medical professionals.
 
'In other words: the detection rate of autism (rather than the risk of autism per se) may be higher in boys seeing a medical professional for circumcision.
 
Professor David Katz, from University College London, who chairs Milah UK, a body that speaks for the Jewish community on issues related to circumcision, said: 'This report is far from convincing: correlation does not equal causation.
 
'There is a long history of attempts to link autistic spectrum disorders to unrelated practices, such as the measles/mumps/rubella association, which proved to be fraudulent.
 
He added: 'There is general agreement that in people suffering from an ASD there are abnormalities that can be identified in brain structure and/or function. 
'There is a strong genetic component, which may be a factor within the faith communities studied here, and which does not appear to have been explored amongst them.
 
'Some contemporary research does indicate that factors besides the genetic component are contributing to the increasing occurrence of ASD.
 
'For example, a variety of environmental toxins have been invoked to explain why these conditions are more prevalent today than they may have been in the past - but again proof of causation is lacking, and these factors are only likely to be relevant in those who are already vulnerable to them.'
 
Applied statistician Professor Kevin McConway, from the Open University, said: 'This study raises an interesting question, but one that cannot be fully answered with these data.'

COPENHAGEN : Parliament to consider cutting age-restriction

The Local
October 22, 2014

Denmark to once again look at circumcision ban

Nearly three fourths of Danes are in favour of banning [infant] male circumcision, a new poll revealed.

In a survey of over 1,000 Danes conducted by YouGov for Metroxpress newspaper, 74 percent of respondents wanted a full or partial ban on the practice while just ten percent supported giving parents the right to circumcise their sons.

The poll results come as parliament prepares to hold a hearing on the practice of circumcision on Wednesday. Left-wing party the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) and libertarian party Liberal Alliance are in favour of a ban, while other parties report internal disagreement on the issue.

The debate about circumcision is a frequent topic in Denmark. Following extensive media coverage in both 2012 and 2013, the Danish Health and Medicines Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen) carried out a study on the potential health risks and benefits of circumcision. In June 2013, the agency determined that there was neither enough risk to justify outlawing circumcision nor enough documentation of its benefits to generally recommend the practice.

Despite the health authorities’ findings, Wednesday’s hearing in parliament may be the first step toward an eventual ban.

“We will handle this topic politically within a few years. As I see it, it goes against the [UN’s] Convention on the Rights of the Child to circumcise children. I’m leaning toward a ban until the person is of legal age,” Venstre MP Hans Christian Schmidt, a former health minister, told Metroxpress.

According to Sundhedsstyrelsen, somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 circumcisions are performed in Denmark each [year], primarily on Jewish and Muslim boys. Male circumcision is almost universal in the Muslim world and highly prevalent in many African countries. It is also a popular practice in the United States where more than half of all boys are circumcised and in Canada, where a 2007 survey put the percentage at 31.9 percent.

Jair Melchior of the Jewish faith group Mosaisk Troessamfund cautioned politicians to not let opinion polls affect their stance on circumcision.

“The problem is that there are so many assertions in the debate on circumcising boys. If it was so dangerous, the Jewish community would have been the first to stop it. But it’s not,” Melchior told Metroxpress. [On the contrary, religion is the one reason that can override concerns of safety. Rabbis would earnestly debate how many brothers might be allowed to die of genital cutting before one might be spared, but only recently have any said "None".]

Like Denmark, neighbouring Sweden and Norway have also been discussing a ban on male circumcision. Following intense debate in 2012, Germany passed a law allowing religious circumcision.

Female circumcision is illegal in Denmark.

Earlier story

COPENHAGEN : 3 out of 4 Danes want a cutting age-restricted

Copenhagen Post
October 22, 2014

Danes want circumcision banned

75 percent want an end to the practice
by Christian Wenande
Three out of every four Danes want to ban the circumcision of boys, unless it's for medical reasons. AYouGov survey for Metroxpress newspaper revealed that 74 percent of the over 1,000 Danes asked want to completely or partially ban the circumcision of boys, while just 10 percent want the practice to remain legal.

“Circumcision is cutting a healthy part of the body from a boy,” Lena Nyhus, the founder of Intact Danmark, an association against the circumcision of children, told Metroxpress. “Denmark ought to be a pioneer when it comes to children's rights. We need an age limit of 18 years.”

On the political agenda
While it is illegal to circumcise girls in Denmark, about 1,000-2,000 Danish primarily Jewish and Muslim boys are circumcised every year. In comparison, about every second boy in the US is circumcised.

The only political parties that want it banned are Enhedslisten and Liberal Alliance, but the entire political sphere will discuss the issue today in parliament.

Danish health authorities have said that circumcision presents very little risk if done by the right doctors. From 2003-2010, the patient ombudsman Patientombudet registered only 20 cases involving complications associated with circumcision.

DENMARK: Medical students oppose circumcising

One more small step for males....

Foreningen af Danske Lægestuderende
24. Juni 2014

Udmelding om rituel omskæring af drengebørn

Ved rituel drengeomskæring fjernes sundt og funktionelt væv fra et umyndigt, raskt barn, og spørgsmålet om rituel drengeomskæring er derfor i sit udgangspunkt ikke et sundhedsspørgsmål. Spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt rituel drengeomskæring skal være lovligt eller ej, bliver i stedet et etisk spørgsmål og et spørgsmål om rettigheder. Derfor må læger og lægestuderende på lige fod med alle andre mennesker i samfundet tage stilling til, om det enkelte menneskes frihed til at være herre over egen krop skal vægtes højere end religiøse og kulturelle traditioner eller ej.

FADL mener, at det enkelte individ har ret til selv at tage beslutning om rituel omskæring, og at retten til en intakt krop bør være uafhængig af individets køn. Da piger allerede er sikret lovmæssig beskyttelse mod rituel omskæring i Danmark, bør drenge også sikres samme rettigheder.

FADL ønsker med denne resolution at udtrykke respekt for børns - både pigers og drenges - konventionssikrede ret til beskyttelse af deres kropslige integritet. Og vil appellere til, at læger og andre sundhedsprofessionelle tager aktivt stilling til, om man vil respektere børns og dermed også drenges konventionssikrede ret til en intakt krop ved at benytte sig af deres ret til at sige nej til at udføre rituel omskæring af drengebørn.

FADL vil gerne understrege, at vores holdning til rituel drengeomskæring hverken bunder i antisemitisme eller islamofobi. Mænd, der har nået myndighedsalderen, kan selv vælge at blive omskåret af religiøse eller kulturelle grunde, såfremt de måtte ønske dette.

FADLs holdning handler ikke om omskæring eller ej. Vores holdning er, at hvert enkelt individ selv skal have valget.

- Kasper Gasbjerg, Formand for Foreningen af Danske Lægestuderende


Association of Danish Medical Students
(Bing translation, edited) June 24, 2014

Announcement about the ritual circumcision of baby boys

Ritual boys' circumcision removes healthy and functional tissue from a umyndigt, healthy child, and the question of ritual boys circumcision is therefore in its starting point not a health issue. The question of whether ritual boys circumcision should be legal or not, will be instead an ethical issue and a question of rights. Therefore, doctors and medical students on an equal footing with all other people in the community take a stand on whether the individual freedom to be master of own body are weighted higher than religious and cultural traditions or not.

FADL believes that individuals have the right to take the decision about the ritual circumcision, and that the right to an intact body should be independent of the individual's gender. As girls already are guaranteed legal protection against ritual circumcision in Denmark, boys should be ensured the same rights.

FADL would with this resolution to express respect for children 's - both girls and boys - Convention secured the right to the protection of their physical integrity. And will appeal to physicians and other healthcare professionals actively take a stand on whether we wish to respect children's and thus also secured the right to an intact boys Convention body by taking advantage of their right to say ' no ' to perform the ritual circumcision of baby boys.

FADL would like to stress that our approach to ritual boys circumcision is rooted in neither anti-Semitism nor Islamophobia. Men who have reached the age of majority, may even choose to be circumcised for religious or cultural reasons, if they wish to do this.

FADL's position is not about circumcision or not. Our position is that each individual should have the choice.

- Kasper Gasbjerg, President of the Danish Association of medical students

DENMARK: Baby in coma after circumcision

BT (Denmark) May 23, 2014 Læge: Omskæring gik helt galt i Nordvest - baby i koma Af: Silla Bakalus En lille baby er kommet så slemt til skade i forbindelse med en omskæring på en privatklinik på Nørrebro, at han er blevet lagt i koma. Sådan forlyder det i et facebook-indlæg, der de seneste dage er blevet spredt med lynets hast på facebook. Bl.a. har personer som Suzanne Bjerrehus samt den kendte overlæge og forsker i seksuel sundhed, Morten Frisch spredt indlægget. Sidstnævnte bekræfter, at historien er sand overfor BT. - Jeg kan bekræfte, at historien er sand. For jeg har talt med lægen, der har udført indgrebet, og han bekræfter, at drengen ligger i respirator, siger Morten Frisch. Ifølge indlægget, der angiveligt er skrevet af et familiemedlem til den lille dreng, havnede babyen i koma, efter han tirsdag blev omskåret på en privatklinik i Københavns Nordvest-kvarter. Efterfølgende måtte drengen indlægges på Hvidovre Hospital, hvor han altså blev lagt i koma. - Inden omskæringen gav han (lægen, red.) bedøvelse, desværre kom den amatør til at give babyen for meget bedøvelse ca. 8ml. (Han burde højst give 3ml. da babyen kun vejer 3 kg.) Kort efter omskæringen og mens babyen stadig var på klinikken begyndte han at havde svært ved at trække vejret og farven i ansigtet ændrede sig samtidig med der kom væske ud af munden på babyen, lyder ordlyden i indlægget... Dansk Folkepartis Liselott Blixt stillede i torsdag følgende spørgsmål til sundhedsminister Nick Hækkerup (S). - Kan ministeren af- eller bekræfte den historie, der florerer i medierne, om en baby der har fået for meget bedøvelse i forbindelse med en omskæring og nu er indlagt på Hvidovre Hospital? Liselott Blixt oplyser fredag formiddag til BT, at hun endnu ikke har fået svar Nick Hækkerup. ...

Bing translation (edited) May 23, 2014 Doctor: Circumcision went badly wrong in the Northwest - baby in a coma By: Silla Bakalus A little baby has suffered so badly in connection with a circumcision at a private clinic in Nørrebro, that he has been put into a coma. This was reported in a Facebook post that has gone viral. People like Suzanne Bjerrehus and the well-known consultant and researcher in sexual health, Morten Frisch, among others, have spread the story. He confirms the story to BT. -I can confirm that the story is true. For I have spoken with the doctor who performed the surgery, and he confirms that the boy is on life support, says Morten Frisch. According to the post, allegedly written by a family member of the little boy, the baby ended up in a coma after he was circumcised on Tuesday at a private clinic in the Northwest District of Copenhagen. Subsequently the boy was hospitalized at Hvidovre Hospital, where he was put into a coma. -Before circumcision, [the doctor] gave him too much anesthetic, about 8ml. instead of the maximum of 3ml. for a 3 kg baby. Shortly after circumcision and still at the clinic, the baby had difficulty breathing, the color of his face changed and fluid was coming out of his mouth, according to the initial post... Danish people's Party member Liselott Blixt asked to health minister Nick Haekkerup (Social Democrat) on Thursday: - -Can the Minister of-or confirm the story, which is rife in the media, about a baby who has gotten too much anesthesia for a circumcision and now is hospitalized at Hvidovre Hospital? Liselott Blixt told BT on Friday morning that she has not yet received a reply from Nick Hækkerup. ...

NEW YORK: World Jewish Congress opposes Swedish and Danish doctors

European Jewish Press
January 31, 2014

World Jewish Congress protests calls by Swedish and Danish physicians to ban religious circumcision

by Maud Swinnen Friday, 31 January 2014 15:30
NEW YORK/STOCKHOLM/ (EJP)---The World Jewish Congress has strongly protested calls by Swedish and Danish medical associations for a ban [age-restriction] on religious male circumcision.

In Sweden, the recommendation came in a resolution unanimously adopted last week by the ethics council of the Sweden Medical Association — a union whose members constitute 85 percent of the country’s physicians, according to Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.

It recommended setting 12 as the minimum age for the procedure and the boy’s consent.

Jewish religious circumcision, or brit milah, is performed eight days after birth. Muslims typically circumcise boys before they turn the age of 10.

In Denmark, the Danish College of General Practitioners, which has 3,000 members, argued that non-medical circumcision of boys amounted to ‘’abuse and mutilation.’’

“We are not religious experts, but for medical reasons, we cannot approve a procedure that removes tissue from the genitals in which the risk is so great for serious complications” said the Swedish association’s ethics officer, Thomas Flodin.

The recommendation, which is non-binding, also said that circumcision should be performed only by physicians in a medical facility.

In October, the children’s ombudsmen of all Nordic countries — Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway — released a joint declaration proposing a ban on circumcision.

Swedish Minister for Integration, Erik Ullenhag, said existing rules that allow for religious circumcision would not be changed. Current Swedish legislation states that both medical and non-medical circumcision must be carried out by a licensed professional. Jewish ritual circumcisers (mohels) receive licenses from the national health board, but are required to be attended by a doctor or nurse during the procedure.

‘’The recommendation of the two medical associations is an insulting and intrusive assault on religious freedom,” reacted World Jewish Congress (WJC) CEO Robert Singer.

He added in a statement : “Religious circumcision, a procedure that has been practiced safely for millennia, confers notable health benefits. It is a bulwark against urinary-tract infections, cervical cancer and HIV-AIDS, which is why it is being promoted heavily by medical authorities in Africa and other places. Given the compelling religious freedom and health reasons for religious circumcision, the Swedish and Danish medical associations need to recognize that their call for a ban represents an appeal to xenophobia and ignorance and not enlightened science.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics stated ...

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Director General of the European Jewish Association (EJA), an umbrella group of Jewish organisations active on European level, who has been leading the fight against attempts to ban circumcision and ritual slaughter of animals, said his organization was conducting a join campaign with European Muslim leaders in an attempt to overturn various legislation that ban kosher butchering and circumcision “two traditions that are sacred both to Jews and Muslims.”

COPENHAGEN: Popular song given to Intactivist campaign

Ekstra Bladet
24. januar 2014

Shu-bi-dua donerer sang til forhuds-kamp

Den danske forening mod børneomskæring - Intact Denmark - får nu hjælp fra et af Danmarks mest folkekære bands
Af: Rune Melchior Sjørvad
Det har længe stået højt på ønskesedlen hos Intact Denmarks talskvinde at få lov til at bruge en helt speciel Shu-bi-dua-sang i foreningens kamp for et forbud mod omskæring af raske, danske drengebørn.


Nu er drømmen gået i opfyldelse, og Shu-bi-dua har kvit og frit stillet nummeret 'Den lille mands sang' til rådighed for foreningen.

Nationalhymne
For de, der ikke måtte kende den 17 år gamle sang, kan det oplyses, at den meget tydeligt opfordrer til at sætte en stopper for omskæring af drenge.

Blandt andet lyder det i sangen: ' Vi må og skal gøre op med en skik - Et af oldtidens regulativer - At skære et stykke af barnets pik'.

- Det har længe været en slags 'nationalhymne' for foreningen, så at få mulighed for at bruge den lune, humoristiske sang i vores kampagner er en drøm, der er gået i opfyldelse, siger Intact Denmarks talskvinde Lena Nyhus til Ekstra Bladet.

Hun forklarer, at Shu-bi-duas tidligere guitarist Michael Hardinger og sanger Michael Bundesen begge har sagt ja til, at sangen kan bruges som underlægningsmusik i foreningens kommende video-kampagne, uden at Intact Denmark skal betale for det.

Grotesk handling
Om sanggaven fortæller Michael Hardinger via mail fra sit hjem i Las Vegas til Folkets Avis:
- For en del år siden indspillede vi med mit gamle band Shu-bi-dua 'Den lille mands sang', som handlede om omskæring. Måske ikke det mest populære emne hverken dengang eller nu når man skriver popmusik. De andre var meget imod 'Den lille mands sang', som egentlig startede i mit hoved ved, at jeg hørte en stand-upper i USA sige: 'Jøderne er det mest optimistiske folkefærd på jorden. De klipper et stykke af penis, inden de ved, hvor lang den egentlig bliver.' Men den groteske handling krævede, i min hjerne i det mindste, at der blev sat spotlight på denne mishandling af børn, siger Michael Hardinger.

Foreningen Intact Denmark oplyser, at Shu-bi-dua blot er de første af en række danske musikere, der har sagt ja til at støtte op om kampen for et dansk forbud mod omskæring.

Shu-bi-dua. 'Den lille mands sang'
Vi må og skal gøre op med en skik
et af oldtidens regulativer
at skære et stykke af barnets pik
før man ved hvor lang den bliver
Eksperter hævder mod al sund fornuft
at længde er ej lig med lykke
vi siger til manden med saksen: forduft
vi behøver hvert eneste stykke
Og elskovsnatten kan blive til gru
hvis klokkerne slet ikke ringer
ofte man hører: er den inde nu,
eller bruger du stadig din finger?
Så op alle mand - så' det helt op at stå
kæmp for den hud I fortjener
lad kraverne dække de kongeblå
så bli'r de osse lidt pænere

(Microsoft translation, with help)
January 24, 2014

Shu-bi-dua donates song to preputial battle

The Danish Association of child circumcision, Intact Denmark, now gets help from one of Denmark's most beloved bands
by Rune Melchior Sjørvad

It has long been high on the wish list of Intact Denmark's spokeswoman to be allowed to use a very special Shu-bi-dua-song in the Association's campaign for a ban on the circumcision of healthy Danish boy children.

Now the dream has come true, and Shu-bi-dua has given 'the little man's song' to the Association, absolutely free.

National Anthem
For those who may not know the 17-year-old song, it can be reported that it very clearly calls for putting an end to circumcision of boys.

Among other things, it says in the song: 'we must and should do away with a practice - one of the ancient regulations - To cut a piece of child's dick'.

"It has long been a kind of 'national anthem' for the Association, so to get the opportunity to use the warm, humorous song in our campaigns is a dream come true," says Intact Denmark's spokeswoman Lena Nyhus to Ekstra Bladet.

She explains that Shu-bi-Dua's former guitarist and singer Michael Bundesen Michael Hardinger has said yes to that song being used as background music in the Association's upcoming video campaign, without Intact Denmark having to pay for it.

Grotesque act
About the gift of the song Michael Hardinger told the people's newspaper by email from his home in Las Vegas:

"A few years ago we recorded with my old band Shu-bi-dua ' the little man's song ', which was about circumcision. It might not be the most popular subject when one writes pop music, either back then or now. The others were very much against 'the little man's song', which actually started in my head know that I heard a stand-up [comedian] in the United States say: 'The Jews are the most optimistic people on Earth. They cut a piece of the penis before they know how long it actually will be.' But the ludicrous action required, in my brain at least that there was put spotlight on this abuse of children," says Michael Hardinger.

The Association Intact Denmark says Shu-bi-dua is just the first of a number of Danish musicians who have said yes to supporting the fight for a Danish ban on circumcision.

Shu-bi-dua. ' The little man's song '
We must do away with the practice
of ancient regulations
to cut a piece off a child's cock
before you know how long it'll be.
Against all sense, "experts" claim
that length does not equal joy.
We say to the man with scissors: Vanish!
We need every inch!
And a night of love can become gruesome
If the bells don't ring at all
You often hear: is it in yet,
or are you still using your finger?
So get up, guys, completely erect
and fight for the skin you deserve!
Let the hoods cover the royal blue
Then they look a bit nicer too.

COPENHAGEN: Medical Association "fundamentally opposed" to infant circumcision

Lægeforeningen
21. januar 2014

Omskæring skal altid foregå på lægelige behandlingssteder

Det er helt uacceptabelt at tillade omskæring på drengebørn under to måneder andre steder end på et lægeligt behandlingssted, mener Lægeforeningen, som opfordrer Sundhedsstyrelsen til at ændre reglerne.

Sundhedsstyrelsen anbefaler i et udkast til revideret vejledning om omskæring, at drenge, der er ældre end to måneder får indgrebet foretaget på et lægeligt behandlingssted. Denne regel bør naturligvis også gælde for de allermindste børn, som gennemgår dette operative indgreb.

”Drenge, der er yngre end to måneder, har naturligvis også krav på den større sikkerhed, som det giver, at indgrebet foretages på et lægeligt behandlingssted. Omskæring kan som alle andre indgreb medføre komplikationer, og derfor er det vigtigt, at operationen foregår i rammer, der beskytter barnet bedst muligt – uanset alder. Det bør Sundhedsstyrelsen sikre i den nye vejledning,” siger Mads Koch Hansen, formand for Lægeforeningen.

Omskæring bør være et personligt valg
Han understreger, at Lægeforeningen er grundlæggende imod omskæring af drenge, hvis ikke der er en lægelig grund som f. eks. forhudsforsnævring til, at indgrebet foretages.

”Det er meget indgribende, at voksne kan bestemme, at nyfødte skal gennemgå et operativt indgreb, som ikke er lægeligt begrundet, og hvis effekt er livsvarig. Når en dreng når myndighedsalderen, kan han selv tage stilling, men indtil da må hensynet til individets ret til selvbestemmelse veje tungest,” siger Mads Koch Hansen.

Danish Medical Association (Microsoft translation)
21 January, 2014

Circumcision should always be performed in medical treatment facilities

It is totally unacceptable to allow circumcision of male infants less than two months at locations other than a medical treatment facility, according to the Medical Association, calling on the Board of Health to change the rules.

[The Board] recommends [in] draft revised guidelines on circumcision [of] boys who are older than two months [that they] have surgery performed at a medical treatment facility. This rule should of course also apply to the youngest children who undergo these surgical interventions.

"Boys who are younger than two months are, of course, entitled to the greater security it provides [when] the operation is performed at a medical treatment facility. Circumcision like any other interventions lead to complications, and therefore it is important that the operation takes place in a framework that protects the child as [much as] possible - regardless of age. The Board of Health should ensure [this] in the new guide," says Mads Koch Hansen, president of the Association.

Circumcision should be a personal choice
He stresses that the Medical Association is fundamentally opposed to male circumcision unless there is a medical reason, such as phimosis, for carrying out the operation. [And phimosis can not be diagnosed in early childhood.]

"It's very intrusive that adults may decide that the newborn is to undergo a surgical procedure that is not medically justified and [whose] power is lifelong. When a boy [reaches] the age of majority, he may even decide, but until then the requirements of the individual's right to self-determination prevail," says Mads Koch Hansen.

COPENHAGEN: Mohel resigned to doctors' opposition to circumcision

BT
20. januar, 2014

Han står for omskæringen læger kalder lemlæstelse: Jeg tager det helt roligt

by Jens Anton Havskov
Overrabbiner Bent Lexner, som er den, der personligt foretager de 15-20 årlige rituelle omskæringer af jødiske drengebørn i Danmark, lader sig ikke mærke med, at den store gruppe af almenpraktiserende læger nu sidestiller omskæring af raske med lemlæstelse.

- De må gøre og sige, hvad de vil, og hvis de har den opfattelse, så må jeg jo leve med det. Men jeg kan sige, at jeg tager det helt roligt, siger Bent Lexner til BT.

Langt, langt størstedelen af de 1.000-2.000 omskæringer, som sker herhjemme årligt, udføres på muslimske drenge.

Til forskel fra Mosaisk Trossamfund er det i muslimernes tilfælde læger, der udfører ritualet, hvor forhuden på drengens penis skæres af.

Baggrunden for jødernes omskæring stammer fra Det gamle Testamentes 1. Mosebog, hvor Gud siger til Abraham, at han og hans efterkommere skal bekræfte pagten med Gud ved omskærelsen, som skal udføres på ottende-dagen efter fødslen.

BT (Microsoft translation)

January 20, 2014

He stands for circumcision [which] doctors call mutilation: "I take it quite quietly"

by Jens Anton Havskov
Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner, who is the one who personally carries out the 15-20 annual ritual circumcisions of Jewish boy children in Denmark, allows himself not to notice that the large group of general practitioners now compares circumcision of healthy [children] with mutilation.


"They must do and say what they want, and if they have the view, so I must live with it. but I can say that I take it quite calmly," says Bent Lexner to BT.

By far the vast majority of the 1,000-2,000 circumcisions that happen at home annually, are carried out on Muslim boys.

Unlike Mosaic [Jewish] faith communities, in the Muslims' case, [it is] doctors who perform the ritual, in which the foreskin of the boy's penis is cut off.

The origins of Jewish circumcision is derived from the Old Testament's first book, Genesis, where God says to Abraham, that he and his descendants shall confirm the Covenant with God by circumcision, to be performed on the eighth day after birth.

[Bent Lexner is the rabbi who denied there were any complications in 1000 circumcisions he had performed and was called on it by a senior paediatrician.]

COPENHAGEN: Doctors' "mutilation" stand is "earth-shattering"

BT (Denmark)
20. januar, 2014

Danske læger: Omskæring af drenge er lemlæstelse

Af Jens Anton Havskov
Nu tager lægerne bladet fra munden: Omskæring er et overgreb og bør forbydes
De alment praktiserende læger slår nu en tyk streg i sandet på et i mere end én forstand følsomt område: Omskæring af drenge er det samme som lemlæstelse, med mindre der er særlige medicinske grunde til det.

Det fastslår Dansk Selskab for Almen Medicin, DSAM, i et høringssvar til Sundhedsstyrelsen, som har fastsat en sidste frist til tirsdag 21. januar til at komme med indvendinger og kommentarer til et nyt revideret udkast til styrelsens »Vejledning om omskæring af drenge«.

Dansk Selskab for Almen Medicin har cirka 3.000 medlemmer og omfatter bl.a. to tredjedele af alle landets alment praktiserende læger, så det er en gruppe, der taler med vægt.

I høringssvaret til Sundhedsstyrelsen lyder den klare melding:
- Sundhedsstyrelsen har sendt »Vejledning om omskæring af drenge« i høring. DSAMs bestyrelse har drøftet høringsudkastet og er enige om, at der kun må udføres omskæring, når der foreligger medicinsk indikation. Hvis der udføres omskæring uden medicinsk indikation, er der tale om lemlæstelse.

Omskæring af piger blev gjort ulovlig i Danmark i 2003. Men drengebørn kan stadig med loven i hånd blive omskåret. En handling, der gøres af religiøse grunde for jøder og muslimer.

Det skønnes, at der udføres mellem 1.000 og 2.000 omskæringer af drengebørn herhjemme hvert år. Og en del af dem foretages, af hensyn til religionens bogstav, under private former.

Morten Frisch, overlæge, dr.med, ph.d. og professor, er en af de markante fortalere mod omskæring. Han har forsket i emnet og har bl.a. udgivet en artikel i 2011, der vakte international opsigt. I artiklen gør han rede for de mange negative følger, omskæring har eller kan have. Ikke blot fysisk men også psykisk.

Morten Frisch siger til BT:
- Det er epokegørende, at de praktiserende læger nu for første gang går ud og fastslår, at omskæring som udgangspunkt er det samme som lemlæstelse. Det er et meget vigtigt signal, og det kan meget vel være begyndelsen til enden for rituel drengeomskæring i Danmark.

Cand.jur. Hans Jørgen Lassen har gennem sit speciale blotlagt, at Danmark bevæger sig på kanten af både dansk lov og internationale konventioner ved at tillade omskæring. Sammen med Morten Frisch har han - i lighed med DSAM - sendt et høringssvar til Sundhedsstyrelsen. De to skriver bl.a.:
- Omskæring af raske drenge, der ikke kan sige fra, er en krænkelse af deres kropslige og seksuelle integritet. Der er ingen principiel forskel på at skære i kønsorganerne på en lille pige og på en lille dreng. Begge dele krænker barnets ret til selv at bestemme over egen krop. Dette var også konklusionen i to resolutioner fra efteråret 2013 fra henholdsvis de nordiske børneombudsmænd og Europarådets parlamentariske forsamling. Ved en gennemgang af danske lovregler på området, som var emnet for Hans Jørgen Lassens speciale på jurastudiet i 2013, blev det klart, at det juridiske grundlag for, at drengeomskæring uden medicinsk indikation ustraffet kan finde sted i Danmark, er tyndt, ja nærmest ikke-eksisterende.

Det har ikke været muligt at få en kommentar fra DSAMs formand Lars Gehlert Johansen.

BT (Microsoft translation)
January 20, 2014

Danish doctors: Circumcision of boys is mutilation

by Jens Anton Havskov
Doctors are now speaking out: circumcision is a violation and should be banned

General practitioners have drawn a thick line in the sand on a - in more than one sense - sensitive area: Circumcision of boys is the same as mutilation, unless there are specific medical reasons for it.

The Danish Society of General Medicine, DSAM, has laid this out in a consultation response to the Health Protection Agency, which has set a deadline for Tuesday 21st January to come up with objections and comments to a new revised draft Board "Guidance on Circumcision of Boys".

The Danish Society of General Medicine has approximately 3,000 members and includes, among others, two-thirds of all the country's general practitioners, so that it is a group that speaks with authority.

In response to the Health Protection Agency it gives the clear message:
"The Health Agency has sent 'Guidance on Circumcision of Boys' in consultation. The DSAM's [Board] of Directors has discussed the draft consultation and agree that circumcision may only be performed when there is a medical indication for it. If circumcision is performed without a medical indication, it is a case of mutilation."

Genital mutilation of girls was made illegal in Denmark in 2003. But baby boys can still legally be circumcised, an action that is done for religious reasons by Jews and Muslims.

It is estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 baby boys are circumcised at home each year, and some of those for the sake of religion, in private.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Morten Frisch, MD PhD, is one of the most notable [op]ponents of circumcision. He has researched the topic and has, among other things. published an article in 2011, which aroused international attention. In the article he [went over] the many negative consequences, circumcision has or can have, not only physically but also psychologically.

Morten Frisch says to BT:
"It's earth-shattering that the practitioners now, for the first time, [have come] out and found at the outset that circumcision is the same as mutilation. This is a very important signal, and it may very well be the beginning of the end for boys' ritual circumcision in Denmark."

Master of Laws Hans Jørgen Lassen has through his specialty exposed that Denmark is moving on the edge of both the Danish law and international conventions by allowing circumcision. Together with Morten Frisch, he has - like DSAM - sent a consultation response to the health protection agency. The two write, inter alia:
"Circumcision of boys who cannot [demur] is a violation of their bodily and sexual integrity. There is no difference in principle between cutting the genitals of a little girl and a little boy. Both violate the child's right to decide over their own body. This was also the conclusion of the two resolutions in the autumn of 2013 from the Nordic Children's Ombudsmen and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Through an examination of Danish legislation in this area, which was the subject of Hans Jørgen Lassen's thesis at law school in 2013, it became clear that the legal basis for boys' circumcision without medical indication being able to take place with impunity in Denmark, is thin, almost non-existent."

It has not been possible to get a comment from DSAMs President Lars Gehlert Johansen.

COPENHAGEN: 7 out of 10 Danes support infant circumcision ban

BT
20. januar 2014

Danskerne: Forbyd omskæring

Af Jens Anton Havskov
Syv ud af ti danskere vil have indført forbud mod omskæring af drengebørn. Fuldstændig som det siden 2003 har været ulovligt at omskære piger.

Det klare svar fremgår af en spørgeundersøgelse, som YouGov har udført for MetroXpress i juli 2013.

I undersøgelsen svarer 71 procent ja til, at der bliver indført forbud, mens 17 procent svarer nej. 12 procent ved ikke.

Målingen er lavet i kølvandet på, at sundhedsminister Astrid Krag (SF) slog fast, at regeringen ikke ønsker et forbud mod de omdiskuterede omskæringer, men i stedet lovede at øge tilsynet med dem.

Lena Nyhus, forkvinde for Intact Denmark, der kæmper for at få forbudt omskæring, sagde i forbindelse med undersøgelsen til MetroXpress, at svarene viser, politikerne er ude af trit med befolkningen og virkeligheden:
- Danmark er et land, som normalt går forrest, når det kommer til at beskytte børn. Nu må politikerne på Christiansborg komme med. Der må ikke skæres i piger, der må ikke skæres i hunde eller heste, men der må gerne skæres i drenge. Det strider jo mod enhver fornuft, når vi ved, at man fjerner 10.000-40.000 føleorganer fra penis, når man skærer forhuden af, sagde Lena Nyhus.

BT (Microsoft translation)
January 20, 2014

Danes: prohibit circumcision

by Jens Anton Havskov
Seven out of ten Danes want there to be a ban on the circumcision of baby boys, completing [the law] as it has since 2003 been illegal to circumcise girls.

The clear answer is shown by a survey carried out by YouGov for MetroXpress in July 2013.
In the study 71 percent [attach] Yes to [the question] that there will be a ban, while 17 percent match no. 12 percent do not [take a stand].

The measurement is made in the wake of that health minister Astrid Krag (SF) stated that the Government did not want a ban on the controversial circumcision, but instead promised to increase supervision of them.

Lena Nyhus, chairwoman of Intact Denmark, which is struggling to get circumcision banned, said in connection with the investigation to the MetroXpress, the answers show that politicians are out of touch with the people and reality:

"Denmark is a country which normally takes the lead when it comes to protecting children. Now, the politicians at Christiansborg [Parliament building] come with 'Do not cut into girls [and] don't cut into dogs or horses, but there boys may be cut into'. It is, after all, against all common sense, when we know that [you are] removing 10,000-40,000 sensory nerves from the penis when you cut the foreskin off," said Lena Nyhus.

DENMARK: Circumcision ban "unnecessary"

Copenhagen Post
June 28, 2013

Circumcision ban not necessary, board of health finds

There is so little risk involved in the ritual circumcision of boys when carried out by competent doctors that there is no need to recommend banning the procedure, according to the board of health.

[Risk is only one of many reasons infant circumcision for other than pressing medical needs should not be allowed.]

Sundhedsstyrelsen (the National Board Of Health) laid out its findings into the potential dangers of circumcision in a report commissioned by the Health Ministry and published on Wednesday. They also found that there was insufficient documentation to generally recommend circumcising young men and boys.

The findings disappointed anti-circumcision group Intact, whose deputy chairman Leo Milgrom stated in a press release that it will mean that boys will continue to lose the right to decide over their own body.

“Even without all the weighty ethical considerations, and without all the many legal, sexual and psychological consequences, at the very least a scientific precautionary principle should apply: circumcision should be immediately stopped simply as a result of the scientific uncertainty described in the health agency’s own report,” Milgrom stated.

Intact argues that male ritual circumcision should be stopped because of unpredictable and unintended psychological consequences that the boys might suffer later in life. They argue that banning female circumcision yet allowing male circumcision, which they argue is equivalent, is discriminatory.

But according to Sundhedsstyrelsen there have been no serious complications as a result of ritual male circumcision in Denmark [not true], though the risk of complication does increase if a boy is circumcised later in life. [There is no evidence for this.]

The current guidelines for male circumcision only require that boys aged 15 and over must consent to the procedure [a meaningless protection if they are fair game before that age]. The procedure must also take place under the supervision of the doctor under proper medical conditions and the children must be administered adequate pain relief.

Sundhedsstyrelsen estimates that between 1,000 and 2,000 ritual circumcisions take place every year in Denmark.

DENMARK: Does circumcision violate the health code?

August 26, 2012

Denmark to probe whether circumcision violates health code

(JTA) -- Denmark has commissioned an investigation into whether non-medical circumcision procedures violate its health code.

“We will examine the public health recommendations followed in this area,” Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt told the Copenhagen-based Politiken daily on Saturday.

Politiken reported that the Danish government has commissioned a study on this question. Last month the paper published an expose that said the National Board of Health did not monitor the conditions under which circumcision takes place.

Non-medical circumcision of minors has been the subject of a heated debate in Denmark over the past few months. Several politicians reportedly have called for a ban on the practice, prompting angry reactions from Jews and Muslims.

Venstre, Denmark’s largest party, will decide whether to seek a ban on such circumcisions based on the results of the study, a party spokesperson told JTA.

The chief rabbi of Denmark, Bent Lexner, told Politiken that he did not think the launching of the investigation reflected distrust on the government’s part. He said the government was welcome to carry out its investigation.
...

DENMARK: Enquiry into circumcision practice

Straits Times
August 24, 2012

Denmark to review male circumcision practices

COPENHAGEN (AFP) - Denmark has commissioned a report into whether male circumcision is always carried out in line with national health guidelines, the prime minister said on Thursday.

Controversy surrounding the non-medical circumcision of young boys arose earlier this summer when Danish media revealed that the National Board of Health did not monitor the conditions under which circumcision takes place.

"We must make sure that things take place in a proper way. And the government is taking the initiative to do so. We will investigate whether the National Board of Health recommendations are being met," Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt told a national daily.

Under the health board rules, a doctor must be present during male circumcision...

DENMARK: Paediatrician shows Chief Rabbi lied about complications (video, NSFW)

Balder Blog (full transcript)
August , 2012

Denmark: Paediatrician accuses Chief Rabbi of lying about circumcision complications

NSFW:

... transscript of a TV Programme aired by the main Danish public service channel Danmark's Radio on Wednesday July 18 at 18:30 hours.

Studio host Steffen Kretz: One of Denmark's leading pediatricians, has accused the leader of the Danish 'Mosaic Faith Society' [Mosaisk Trossamfund], the largest religious organization among Denmark's estimated 7000 Jews, of having mutilated young male infants when they were circumcised.

Dr. Preben Kirkegaard: 'We have seen examples of all the skin of the penis having been taken off, also when performed by Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner.

Steffen Kretz: The accusation is categorically denied by Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner who has circumcised more than a thousand newly born infant boys.

Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner: It was me who took care of the Jewish circumcisions over forty years, and there were done about a thousand, and there has not been one complication...

...

Dr. Preben Kirkegaard: There we can see; all the skin has been removed of the whole penis...

... During my time at Rigshospitalet, there were brought in several boys each year, who were circumcised 'down town', as it is called,

Speaker: In many cases far too much of the skin had been cut off.

Dr. Preben Kirkegaard: ... and some of them were about to bleed out completely, I must say, their lives were actually endangered.

Speaker: But the recent days discussion of circumcision of primarily Jewish and Muslim boys, earlier today caused the head of the Jews in Denmark to stress, that a ban of the ritual practice would chase the Jews out of Denmark.

Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner: We would pack our suitcases as soon as possible, and end 400 years of Jewish life in Denmark.

Speaker: One of those Jews who were circumcised at an early age however, does not agree.

Keld Koplev: It is torture and mutilation of male infants. Why should a rabbi, who doesn't have a medical education, be able to do that? Cutting into other people, cutting into children, I don't understand.

...

Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner: Because it is me who has taken care of the Jewish circumcisions, through 40 years, and there were about a thousand, and there never has been one complication.

...

Dr. Preben Kirkegaard: He is lying if he says that it never happened.

...

Speaker: Preben Kirkegaard continues to work as a doctor, and with the cases he has seen in mind, his verdict about circumcision is clear:

Dr. Preben Kirkegaard: It is child abuse

Steffen Kretz: Good evening Bent Lexner, these are tough accusations against you. It is child abuse, we hear the Doctor say.

And he says, that he has had boys who were circumcised by you in his care, who were mutilated because there were complications, what do you have to say to this criticism?

Rabbi Bent Lexner: First I would like to say that it actually is true, that there has been a situation that I know about where parents that I knew, went to the hospital, where Preben Kirkegaard apparently was on duty at the time being, and what I mostly remember from that case, is that the parents were completely shocked about the treatment they had got.

That this doctor, who now has some opinions about the case, they were shocked by his attitude. He ripped off the bandage, and I have seen the pictures some years ago, I can understand they can perhaps appear dramatic, but I just want to put it to the Doctors attention, that that is the way a circumcision looks, completely natural without problems. [The picture clearly shows a degloved penis.]

Steffen Kretz: But the Doctor directly says, that, sorry to interrupt, he says directly that you are lying when you say that there have been no complications with the many circumcisions you have performed through the years. What do you say to that accusation?

Rabbi Bent Lexner: I would like to say that it is true; I am sorry that I did not point that out at a that time, when I was interviewed in a car, That I should have said that there had been an example that I knew about at the Rigshospitalet [hospital]

But I'd like to say, that it ended with, that the reason was that there were problems with a virus in the child [blaming the victim] , and there is nobody who is informed about circumcisions, who will allege that I have destroyed anything at all, that is an unreasonable accusation, which only has something to do with attitudes. [ad hominem]

...

DENMARK: Majority of parliament would vote against circumcision

Europe News
July 20, 2012

Danish parliament: Majority against religious circumcision

"If the Danish parliament would vote on whether religious circumcision of male children should be prohibited, there is strong evidence that such a ban would be enacted. Spokesmen from the three largest parties in Denmark (Liberals, Social Democrats and Danish Peoples' Party) express that they and their parties are skeptical about the current practice where Jewish and Muslim boys may lawfully be circumcised, if there is a doctor present when surgery is performed.

...

'It will be difficult to find a doctor who will claim that it is a risk free procedure. ... Based on the fact that it can cause medical complications, I think it is a procedure that should only be made when the person is adult and can decide himself,' says Sophie Løhde (Liberals). ...

The Danish Council of Ethics and the Danish Children's Council has recommended a ban. Also the two parties Green Alliance and Liberal Alliance has declared themselves in favor of a ban."