COLOGNE: 2nd anniversary of historic genital autonomy ruling marked.

May 7, 2014

World Day of Genital Autonomy commemorated in Cologne

by Hugh Young
The second anniversary of a historic court ruling against male genital cutting has been commemorated where it happened.

A crowd gathered outside the Cologne district courthouse to mark two years since the court ruled that infant circumcision was contrary to Germany's Grundgesetz (Basic Law).

intaktiv e. V.

This followed the botched circumcision of a four-year-old boy of Muslim parents, putting him in hospital for ten days, and requiring corrective surgery under general anaesthetic.

The Grundgesetz was put in place in Western Germany in 1949, and later the whole country, at the same time as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Both were written in reaction to the horrors of the Nazi regime, such as the evil medical experiments on children by Dr Josef Mengele.

Under pressure from religious interests, the ruling was overthrown by a law whose constitutionality is still to be tested.

At the gathering, messages from genital autonomy organisations were read outside the courthouse, before the crowd of about 50 people marched to Cologne Cathedral for more speeches. Visitors came from France, Switzerland, Austria and Panama. The mood of everyone there was described as "good humoured". A similar event was taking place simultanously in London.

NORM-UK

Organisers plan to repeat the event annually.

STOCKHOLM: Swedish doctors want tighter rules for circumcision

Information (Denmark)
26. januar 2014

Svenske læger vil skærpe regler for omskæringer

Det kirurgiske indgreb burde erstattes af en symbolsk omskæring, mener lægeforening. Minister er afvisende.

Den svenske lægeforening mener, at omskæringer kun skal udføres efter samtykke fra drengen.
Anbefalingen støttes af samtlige medlemmer af foreningens etiske udvalg, skriver Svenska Dagbladet.

Hvis politikerne vælger at følge forslaget, vil det være en skærpelse af de nuværende regler for at omskære drengebørn.

Lægeforeningen begrunder sin indstilling med, at risikoen for bivirkninger ved det kirurgiske indgreb er urimelig høj.

Drenge skal tidligst blive omskåret i 12-13 års alderen. Indgrebet, hvor forhuden bliver fjernet, skal foretages på et hospital og først efter, at der er givet information om smerten og de eventuelle risici, som det kan medføre, mener rådet.

At gå så vidt helt at forbyde omskæringer, hvilket diskuteres i Finland, anses ikke for at være realistisk her og nu, skriver Svenska Dagbladet.

Men grundlæggende mener Läkarförbundet, at det kirurgiske indgreb bør erstattes af en symbolsk omskæring. For eksempel i form af en ceremoni af en eller anden slags.

Den mulighed vil lægerne nu drøfte med med jurister og muslimske repræsentanter.

- Vi er ikke religiøse eksperter, men af medicinske grunde kan vi ikke give vores opbakning til et indgreb, hvor man fjerner væv på kønsorganet, når der er så stor en risiko for alvorlige komplikationer, siger Thomas Flodin fra foreningens etiske råd.

Dansk forskning viser, at der opstår komplikationer i fem procent af samtlige omskæringer - også selv om indgrebet er foretaget af sundhedspersonale på hospitaler.

- At en ud af 20 personer lider af en infektion eller blødninger, er en alt for stor risiko. Især når indgrebet ikke er udført af medicinske grunde, siger Thomas Flodin.

Integrationsminister Erik Ullenhag fra Folkpartiet mener, at den gældende lovgivning er tilstrækkelig.
- Jeg har aldrig mødt en voksen mand, der oplevede omskæringen som et overgreb, siger han til avisen.

(Microsoft translation)
26 January, 2014

Swedish physicians will sharpen rules for circumcision

The surgical procedure should be replaced by a symbolic circumcision, doctors believe. Minister is dismissive.

The Swedish Medical Association believes that circumcision [should be] performed only after consent from the boy.

The recommendation is supported by all the members of the Association's Ethics Committee, Svenska Dagbladet writes.

If politicians choose to follow the proposal, it will be a tightening of the rules currently in force [concerning] circumcising of baby boys.

The Danish Medical Association justifies its recommendation [on the basis] that the risk of side effects from the surgery is excessive.

Boys may be circumcised [at] 12-13 years of age, at the earliest. The procedure, in which the foreskin is removed, must be carried out at a hospital and only after [parents are] given information about the pain and the possible risks it can cause, according to the Council.

To go so far as to completely prohibit circumcision, [being] discussed in Finland, is not considered to be realistic here and now, Svenska Dagbladet writes.

But the Medical Association fundamentally believes that the surgery should be replaced by a symbolic circumcision, for example, in the form of a ceremony of some sort.

They will now discuss the option with doctors, lawyers and Muslim representatives.

"We are not religious experts, but for medical reasons, we cannot give our backing to an intervention where one removes tissue from the genital organ, when there is such a high risk of serious complications," says Thomas Flodin from the Association's ethical Council.

Danish research shows that there will be complications for five percent of all circumcision, even if the procedure is carried out by health care professionals in hospitals.

"For one in 20 people to suffer from an infection or bleeding is too great a risk, especially when the surgery is not performed on medical grounds," says Thomas Flodin.

Integration minister Erik Ullenhag of the Liberal Party believe that the existing legislation is adequate.

"I have never met an adult man who experienced circumcision as an assault," he told the newspaper.

ITALY: Jews and Muslims co-operate on (male) circumcision

Italy: Jewish and Arab doctors to cooperate on circumcision

Rome meeting hears 35% secret operations by Muslims

(ANSAmed) - Rome - Muslim and Jewish doctors for the first time have reached agreement on key health issues including circumcision which has become an emergency among members of Italy's Islam community.

The cooperation emerged from an 'ad hoc' meeting organised between Foad Aodi, the president of Italy's foreign doctors' association (AMSI) and Dario Perugia, the president of the Jewish doctors' association.

Unlike Jewish newborns who are circumcised by doctors under the supervision of a synagogue, one third of Muslim children are circumcised in secret locations with the risk of complications and infections.

Aodi said this affected a large number of children, given there are 1.3 million Muslims in Italy.

AMSI has been fighting for change for some time because circumcision (not to be confused with illegal practices like female genital mutilation) occurs in clinics or locations that were part of the national health service.

[But many Muslims want as desperately to cut their girls, to a similar extent and for the same reasons.]

He stressed it was important to protect children's health. Health authorities also want to eliminate the circumcision 'black market' that is flourishing in Italy where doctors can be paid a thousand euro for a single operation, forcing many families to make great sacrifices or return to their countries of origin. [Or not do it.]

AMSI together with Italy's Arab community and the cultural association "Uniti per Unire" and Jewish doctors are proposing that the service be offered at a maximum price of 100 euros. That has already been introduced in regions including Emilia Romagna and Veneto but there is now a push for a national approach.

"Every day we receive telephone calls from three or four families who are desperate because they don't know where to go," Aodi said. (ANSAmed).

SHEFFIELD, UK: Circumcision funding cut sparks "backstreet" fears

BBC
January 17, 2013

Sheffield circumcision cuts spark backstreet op fear

Funding for male circumcision for non-medical reasons in Sheffield is to be cut, sparking concerns there will be a rise in backstreet operations.

About 200 circumcisions are carried out for religious reasons in Sheffield each year, at a cost of £200,000.

NHS Sheffield's Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is looking to make savings and has proposed making families pay for the procedure.

Members of the city's Islamic community have complained about the decision.

Community worker Wahid Nazir said Muslim and Jewish communities would be affected.

"If these proposals go ahead these people that are doing these circumcisions in the backstreets, people that are not medically qualified, are going to become more prominent... and there's going to be more problems and young children are going to be put at risk.

"In Sheffield it was advertised and people were encouraged to go to the NHS and get things done properly and it was very successful. So we're taking a backward step."

The move would bring Sheffield in line with national guidelines from the Department of Health, which say circumcisions should not be funded when they are requested for non-medical reasons.

In a statement, the CCG said: "Nationally, the NHS does not fund routine or religious circumcisions but despite this, Sheffield continues to spend £200,000 a year on these operations.

"As a CCG, we have to review what is the best use of funding for the half a million people who live in our city and as we only carry out around 200 circumcisions a year, we can assume that many parents are already using non-NHS funded services.

"As a CCG we are keen to ensure that all services we fund are medically necessary and appropriate whilst also providing the best value for money for all."

Earlier story

Circumcision in the UK Most circumcisions in the UK are done for non-therapeutic reasons (religious) Currently no formal qualifications are required to perform the operation Jewish boys are circumcised when they are eight-days-old by a Mohel - a Jewish person trained in the practice of brit milah, the covenant of circumcision [So the NHS is not involved.] Most Muslim boys and some Christians are also circumcised as babies. [Circumcision has no place in Christianity] There is no equivalent of a Jewish Mohel in Islam or Christianity with procedures usually carried out by doctors Some medical experts have called for religious circumcision to be offered on the NHS to minimise the risk of post-operative complications

SHEFFIELD, UK: Hospitals plan to charge for circumcision

National Secular Society
January 10, 2013

Sheffield hospitals plan to charge for non-medical circumcision

Hospitals in Sheffield carry out about 200 non-medical male circumcisions a year, costing the Health Authority in the region of £170,000. Now, in an attempt to save money, the NHS Sheffield's Clinical Commissioning Group has proposed to make families who want their sons circumcised pay for the procedure. Each operation costs about £1,000.

But Coun Shaffaq Mohammed, who is a director at the Pakistan Muslim Centre in Sheffield, is worried about the potential knock-on effects.

He told Postcode Gazette: "I'm very concerned. Whilst it may seem like an easy saving, this could lead to a serious increase in backstreet operations. This is a dangerous path to tread and as a result may actually lead to parents seeking emergency treatment and actually increase burden on the NHS."
[This argument is never used to justify state funding of female genital cutting.]

Dr Margaret Ainger, a GP from Page Hall medical practice on Owler Lane and lead for children's services in the NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "We understand that for some, circumcisions are an important part of their religion and therefore our doctors are working with our key community groups on how best we could make advice and guidance available to those who need it. Conversations with these groups are planned and we are keen to get people involved in tailoring this advice."

The cut is set to come into force in the 2013/14 financial year. The commissioning group has been in discussions with Sheffield Children's Hospital about the possibility of instead providing a private service at the hospital.

A report to be presented at a council meeting next week states: "(The team is) exploring the potential to develop a service which will provide care under local anaesthetic on a private basis and paid for by the children's parents."

Dr Ainger added: "No decision has been made as of yet but we are exploring what options would be available to the Sheffield public by working in partnership with both the Children's Hospital and local authority to make sure that any family wishing to circumcise their sons have the best possible advice and guidance available."

Male circumcision, which is the surgical removal of the foreskin, is often carried out for non-medical reasons such as religious beliefs or personal preferences. It is common in both the Muslim and Jewish communities.

According to national guidelines from the Department of Health, circumcisions should not be funded when they are requested for non-medical reasons. The proposals bring Sheffield into line with this national guidance.

Dr Ainger said: "Non-therapeutic circumcisions are not clinical interventions and as a group, we would not want anybody to undergo a medical procedure if there was no specific clinical need."

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, commented: "This is yet another example of public money being used for religious purposes. There is absolutely no need for children to be subjected to such a procedure – in fact there are plenty of arguments why they shouldn't be. The idea that scarce NHS funding is being used for something that has only religious and no medical significance is scandalous.

"There is however a real danger that those seeking circumcisions will turn to practitioners without medical qualifications. We call on the Government to amend Child protection legislation to make it unlawful for anyone other than qualified medical staff to circumcise minors for any reason. This is just a first step, though. We believe that non-therapeutic circumcision should not be permitted until the boy is old enough to give informed consent.

"Non-therapeutic infant circumcision is a breach of children's rights and it's time legislators reconsidered the current carte blanche afforded to infant circumcision on the basis that the parents' freedom of religion is the only consideration. This approach has already been taken by a Cologne Court and is backed by reputable medical bodies including the Royal Dutch Medical Association."

ISRAEL: Rabbi annoys Muslims with circumcision comparison

The Yeshiva World
September 3, 2012

Chief Rabbi Metzger Tries to Set the Record Straight

At a shabbos event in Kerem B’Yavne, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger Shlita explained that his efforts in Germany surrounding the bris milah controversy simply focused on educating officials to the differences between Jewish bris milah and Islamic circumcision.

Despite the chief rabbi’s good intentions, the echo heard from Germany is that his efforts appear to have complicated matters for the local Jewish community.

The chief rabbi told his hosts in Kerem B’Yavne that he explained the customs surrounding our bris milah on an infant as compared to the Islamic version, performed on a male without anesthesia, viewed as a cruel act while this is not the case with bris milah on an infant.

Whatever the case, for the leaders of the Jewish community in Germany, Rabbi Metzger’s efforts did not lead to a solution and for now, based on the Cologne court’s ruling, bris milah is illegal in that district of the country.

Earlier story

ISRAEL: Another baby has penis cut off

The Times of Israel
June 1, 2012

Baby hospitalized after botched circumcision

Doctors expect reattachment procedure to be successful
By Ilan Ben Zion
 
A two-day-old boy from a Galilee village was rushed to a Haifa hospital on Friday after a botched circumcision.

The infant’s Muslim parents brought their child to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa after the ritual circumciser accidentally dismembered the child’s penis.

Urologists and surgeons worked to reattach the detached organ and said they expect the procedure to be successful.

This is the second time in the past month that the Rambam Medical Center has dealt with a misperformed circumcision.

Earlier story

FINLAND: Greens vote to end circumcision; no law yet either way

Helsingin Sanomat
May 28, 2012

NEWS ANALYSIS: Finland lacks policy on religiously-mandated male circumcision

By Irina Vähäsarja
The issue of circumcisions performed on boys for religious and cultural reasons has reached a stage in Finland in which it is difficult to find a solution that is acceptable to all.

   The Green League voted in favour of a resolution at its party congress a week ago that such procedures should be phased out in Finland either through advice or, if necessary, through legislation.

Finns Party MP Vesa-Matti Sarakkala submitted a legislative initiative in Parliament calling for an outright ban on circumcisions.

   Earlier in the spring the issue was also taken up by Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson (Swed. People’s Party). In her view, the procedures should be permitted, but legislation, or at least guidelines from the ministerial level are needed on who may perform the circumcisions and under what circumstances.

   There are problems involved in both permitting and prohibiting the operations, but there are also problems involved in the Finnish status quo, which has no specific legislation to back it up.

It is estimated that hundreds of non-medical circumcisions are performed on boys each year, but the circumstances under which they might be permitted, and when they would be classified as criminal assault are unclear.

   A basic guideline has been the decision handed down by the Supreme Court in 2008, in which the religiously motivated circumcision performed on a Muslim boy was not considered a crime, as it was performed in a medically sound manner.

   The decision has been interpreted in such a way that non-medical circumcisions have been seen as permissible as long as they are performed by a doctor.

However, last year Helsinki District Court took a tougher line. The court ruled, among other things, that the person undergoing the procedure should understand what is happening. This means that circumcision of small children would not be allowed.

   The court based its decision on the Convention on Human rights and Biomedicine of the Council of Europe, which was adopted by Finland only after the Supreme Court’s decision.

   The case is still in the Court of Appeals, and it is too early to say if the Supreme Court will rule on it someday.

As long as no legislation is passed, or case law established, cases will end up in court. The situation causes uncertainty among parents who do not know if they could face charges.

   If the surgeries are banned, there is a danger that they will be performed abroad, or that quacks might be enlisted for the purpose, and that if complications occur, the parents might be afraid to take their children in for treatment. In addition, both the Jewish and Muslim communities oppose any ban.

   However, if the procedures are permitted, Finland will be giving its approval to medically unnecessary surgery that interferes with the integrity of the body. The Finnish Medical Association takes the stand that child circumcisions are in conflict with medical ethics.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health favours a compromise. It does not take a stand in either direction on the issue of legislation, but it is preparing a set of guidelines for health care professionals.

  Ministry official Marie Kolimaa is not disclosing the content or schedule of the guidelines. “There are many things that remain open”, she says.

   This is certainly easy to believe. A number of thorny questions need to be considered:
Should public health care be used for the performance of a religious ritual?

   What if all doctors refuse on ethical grounds?
   If the procedures are consigned to the private sector, is it still possible to get a public subsidy?

There is also the question of basic principles, which the Greens also referred to.

   Should Finland seek to act in such a way that non-medical circumcisions of boys would become less common, or be eliminated completely? If so, what would be the means to that end?

Earlier story