Circumcision Ban Ordered Off California Ballot by Judge in San Francisco - Bloomberg

[WillyT]

:popcorn:

Circumcision Ban Ordered Off California Ballot by Judge in San Francisco
By Joel Rosenblatt and Karen Gullo - Bloomberg
Jul 28, 2011 11:29 AM PT

<snip>

A measure to ban circumcision in San Francisco must be removed from the November ballot because it would regulate a medical procedure, a California judge ruled. Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi in San Francisco today made final yesterday’s tentative ruling, saying it would serve no legitimate purpose to allow an invalid measure to remain on the ballot. Giorgi said the measure is prohibited by California’s Business and Professions Code.

Even if it targeted only circumcision performed for religious reasons, it would still be invalid because it would violate the constitutional right to free exercise of religion, Giorgi said. “I did go ahead and look at that analysis,” Giorgi said at a packed hearing.

Lloyd Schofield, a San Francisco resident who led efforts to get the measure on the ballot, said after the hearing that he was considering an appeal.

Michael Kinane, Schofield’s attorney, told the judge that the measure was modeled after a U.S. law that limits female circumcision to instances of medical necessity. “In the City and County of San Francisco, one of the places in the world that protects human rights more than anywhere in the world, we have reasonable health and safety right to protect our little babies from circumcision,” he said.

“It’s not cultural. It’s not religious,” Kinane said. California has no laws that are “sufficient to justify the mutilation of little infants,” he said.

<snip>

More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-27/proposed-san-francisco-circumcision-ban-may-be-ordered-off-november-ballot.html

:popcorn::evilgrin::popcorn:

:hi:

[MicaelS]

1. Excellent ruling from Judge Loretta Giorgi ....

I bet this ruling will cause some waling and gnashing of teeth. :bounce:

[RandySF]

2. Now we can focus

on issues that are relevant to improving the City.

[Cool Logic]

3. Here's to pushing back the forces of authoritarianism...

:toast:

[drakonyx]

4. It's NOT the Parents' body!

This operation affects the kids the rest of their lives. It should be their decision, not their parents'.

http://www.theprovocation.net/2011/07/circumcision-ban-doesnt-curtail-rights.html

[HockeyMom]

10. Sending your kid to Catholic School can ruin them for life

Been there, done that.

[LARED]

5. What's next. earrings, piercing. tattoos, MYOB. nt

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Oh, what the hell...

K & R. Off to the Greatest Page with ye!

Of all the things that I've lost during my lifetime, I've probably missed my wee turtleneck less than any of them.

[WillyT]

7. Yeah... I'm Pretty Sure The Parents Are More Traumatized That The Infants...

Had it done at birth... do not remember it, had no ill effects from it.

:shrug:

:hi:

[left is right]

11. I would not have sex with an uncircumcised man

I read somewhere a long time ago that Jewish women had less cervical cancer than any other group of women. The article postulated that it was due to the fact that they tended to only have sex with uncircumcised males. (Full disclosure, woman but not Jewish) Both my grandsons are circumcised. The toddler’s had been done quite badly and we are thinking about having it redone.

[kestrel91316]

8. John Q. Public has no business regulating the practice of human OR

veterinary medicine. It is for the respective professional regulatory boards to decide what procedures are legal or not.

I don't want circumcision OR abortion OR access to birth control (or any other medical matters) subject to a vote of ignoramuses and religious nuts.

[RC]

9. The way I read this, the same thinking would apply to abortions.

Abortion is a medical procedure.

[saras]

13. As is female circumcision

[dickthegrouch]

12. Terrible ruling

The tyranny of the church lives on.
If it's such a good idea now, why can't it wait until the boy can make his mind up?
The only reason it's done so frequently in the US is to satisfy the greed monster. Whether it's the mohel getting paid or the pediatric surgeon. It's an unnecessary infection risk for newborns.
It's plain unnecessary for almost everyone else. Why is 75% of the planet uncircumcised?
At the very least put the statute of limitations for circumcision injuries at 21 years so the adult can sue his mutilators if he wants to.

[WillyT]

14. Curious That... I Don't Feel At All... "Mutilated"...

In fact... I don't remember a thing about it. And... had quite the lovely childhood, and adolescence, and adulthood. And cleaning is easy-peasy!

:shrug:

[HelenWheels]

16. Late circumcision painful

A circumcision on older males is exceedingly painful and adults don't heal as quickly as infants. They are giving pain medication to infants now prior to the circ. I don't think you can equate this with female genital surgery as the females have many more complications that are life long. Also they do the females when they are older and in the countries that do this they don't use pain medication or sanitary conditions.

[MicaelS]

18. No it is NOT "exceedingly painful"

I had it done when I was 20, and it was not exceedingly painful. The worst thing (and it wasn't that bad) was when the dissolving stitches started to itch.

However having said all that, I wish it had been done when I was a baby.

[alltherage]

15. While Cutting Up A Vital Part of Your Children's Genitalia Should Be Illegal

I knew that this wouldn't fly with all the religious nuts running the show. The pro-circumcision propaganda and why it got pushed so hard in the United States in the 20th century, is a tough act to beat with the moral values crowd. It was them that indoctrinated the country with this baloney.

[WinkyDink]

17. "Female circumcision" is an oxymoron.