It’s Official: No Circumcision in Germany – Jewish Hospital Bans the Brit

[rug]

By: Malkah Fleisher
Published: July 1st, 2012

The Jewish Hospital in Berlin has suspended all religious circumcisions of children following a ruling delivered by a German court on June 24 banning the practice.

The district court in Cologne ruled that circumcising young boys “is a serious and irreversible interference in the integrity of the human body,” and raised an outcry of protest from Jewish and Muslim groups, both religions performing circumcisions on their children as a symbol of religious faith.

The ruling was made on a case in which a 4 year-old Muslim boy’s circumcision by a doctor led to pervasive bleeding and medical complications.

Gerhard Nerlich, a spokesman for the hospital, announced that “we are suspending circumcisions until the legal situation is clarified”.

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/its-official-no-circumcision-in-germany-jewish-hospital-bans-the-brit/2012/07/01/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. My brother was circumcised by a moyel and a rabbi in our home.

Jewish German families have options of home circumcision and going outside their region to other hospitals until the decision is appealed and perhaps overturned.

[atreides1]

2. And

What if the decision isn't overturned?

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I don't think this decision applies throughout Germany nor does it ban home circumcions.

Correct me please if I'm wrong but I thought just the hospitals in the court's jurisdiction were banned from performing circumcision.

[cbayer]

4. That's what I thought was common practice.

I didn't think these were routinely done in hospitals anyway, so this hospital's decision seems more symbolic than anything.

[backscatter712]

6. Aren't those the ones where the mohel sucks the blood from the circumcision with his mouth?

[cbayer]

7. No. That's a small fringe sect.

But I think you knew that.

[Franker65]

5. Controversial

I can see this decision making alot of people angry...