A Democratic
congressman from California is to introduce a bill in the US House of
Representative to prevent 
the city of San Francisco from banning the
circumcision of males under the age of 18.
Representative Brad
Sherman announced the bill in reaction to a measure that has qualified for the
November 2011 ballot in San Francisco that would make the performance of
circumcisions on males under 18 a misdemeanor—with a possible $1,000 fine and
one-year prison term.
Labour Senator Ivana
Bacik has suggested a similar ban – other than for
health reasons – in Ireland. She suggested such a move an international
atheist conference earlier this month, and confirmed her support for it in the
Seanad days later.
“Male circumcision
has been practiced for thousands of years and is a deeply important ceremony for
two major religions,” said Sherman. “Circumcision is obligatory for Jewish-born
males — it must be performed on the eighth day after birth and is only
postponed in the case of threat to the life or health of the child. Muslim
parents also circumcise their male children.”
Sherman expressed
concern over the motivation of the provision. “To infringe the religious rights
of so many Americans, San Francisco should have some compelling medical reason;
however, the medical literature actually shows clear benefits of male
circumcision.”
According to a United
Nation AIDS agency study, male circumcision offers a 60 percent reduction in HIV
risk and the benefits are life-long.
“I agree with the
American Academy of Pediatrics that parents should clearly have the right to
freely decide whether circumcision is in the best interests of their male
children,” said Sherman. “In fact, American parents have chosen circumcision for
over 75 percent of male children.”
“Congress has a
legitimate interest in making sure that a practice that appears to reduce
disease and health care costs remains available to parents,” Sherman said. “And,
nothing in my bill prohibits statewide law ensuring that male circumcision
occurs in a hygienic manner.”
“Congress has
historically legislated to protect the free exercise of religious rights from
state and local intrusions,” Sherman said. “In 2000, Congress passed the
Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, designed to protect
religious institutions from unduly burdensome local zoning
laws.”
“The Religious and
Parental Rights Defense Act of 2011ensures that Jewish and Muslim families will
continue to be able to enjoy the free exercise of their religious beliefs,”
Sherman said.
“Religious freedom is
a federal issue, and medical practice is a state issue, maybe a federal issue as
well,” Sherman said. “Neither of them is in the proper realm of
cities.”
Sherman said the bill
would be presented to the House Judiciary Committee this week. Sherman also said
that he was gathering co-sponsors.
“One of note is Keith
Ellison,” Sherman said, referring to the Minnesota Democrat, the first Muslim
American to be elected to Congress.
A proposition banning
circumcision in San Francisco will appear on that city’s ballot in November. An
effort to put an identical proposition before voters in Santa Monica was
abandoned by its proponent on June 6.