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Should circumcision be considered assault on newborn boys?

Brynn 2012/07/02 05:12:18
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BERLIN -- A German court has ruled that circumcising young boys on religious grounds amounts to bodily harm even if parents consent to the procedure.

Cologne state court said the child's right to physical integrity trumps freedom of religion and parents' rights, German news agency dapd reported Tuesday.

The case involved a doctor accused of carrying out a circumcision on a 4-year-old that led to medical complications. The doctor was acquitted, however, and prosecutors said they won't appeal.

The president of Germany's Central Council of Jews, Dieter Graumann, called the ruling "unprecedented and insensitive," urging the country's parliament to clarify the legal situation "to protect religious freedom against attacks."

Graumann said the circumcision of newborn Jews has been practiced for thousands of years and "every country in the world respects this religious right."

Muslims also circumcise young boys, while many parents request it on health grounds.

The state court's ruling creates a tricky legal situation for doctors who perform the procedure on parents' orders.

Unlike female circumcision, there is no law prohibiting it and the ruling isn't binding for other courts. However, it sets a precedent that would be taken into account by other German courts when ruling on similar cases.
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  • DavidGustafson 2012/07/02 06:13:47
    Yes
    DavidGustafson
    +7
    Let "men" decideif they want a surgical procedure. If THE UNIVERSE deemed it necessary for there to be no foreskin, we would have been born without it. When we mess with nature we tend to f**k things up.

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  • Lily Robbb 2012/07/16 12:31:07
    Lily
    Exactly! The last sentence sums up the entire arguement. Never mind what others think, it is up to the mother/father.
  • Robbb Lily 2012/07/16 12:36:43 (edited)
    Robbb
    Do you understand what assault is? would it be OK if the father was to teach the child to give him oral sex because he thinks that would be a good idea and it makes him or her feel good? Or what about tattooing a crucifix on the boy’s chest or better still penis. only a pervert would condone such things.
  • Lily Robbb 2012/07/16 12:39:41
    Lily
    How did circumcision become sexual? That's one helluva leap ya made there.
  • Robbb Lily 2012/08/28 20:21:13
    Robbb
    It is sexual as you are tamperng with and causing irevicable damage to a childs sexual organ. Circumcision is done to satify the parent, not the child. The child comes out of it damaged.Phisicasly and Psycologicaly and against its will, that is asault. would you say tattooing a child is sault?
  • Lily Robbb 2012/08/31 01:20:01
    Lily
    All my nephews have had the procedure and dont give it a second thought. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but they shouldnt have the right to force it on the masses.
  • Robbb Lily 2012/08/31 11:43:39
    Robbb
    Correct me if I am wrong Everyone is entitled to their opinion but should not be able to force it on everyone but it is OK to tie an infant down (he has to be tied down because it is such a horribly painful operation) and cut of a piece of his anatomy without his permission. Yes I would say tattooing a child is assault. However a tattoo is not the amputation of a healthy and useful part of the body. by the way who are the masses? The great unwashed?
  • Lily Robbb 2012/08/31 16:26:11
    Lily
    +1
    Lol! have a nice day.
  • Monty Robbb 2012/08/27 22:27:28
    Monty
    by stating the term "mutilation" you act like they run genitals through a cheese grater or something
  • Robbb Monty 2012/08/28 20:22:05 (edited)
    Robbb
    Have you ever seen it done? You are prety close.
  • Monty Robbb 2012/08/28 20:42:15
    Monty
    yes,they cheese grated my foreskin right off *rolls eyes*
  • Robbb Monty 2012/08/29 09:33:15
    Robbb
    You make a lot of sily statements, Like you have a real problem with people that have intact genitalia. Do you know what the word mutilation means? Why do you thionk that less then 20% of the worlds men are circumcised, because it is such a terific Idea. this form of genital mutilation has been around for thousands of yeas and the vast majority of it is done for religious and religion asociated reasons. In english speaking countrys it began during the Victorian era to stop boys from masturbating becayse the widom of the britich medical fraternity said that any number of diseases ranging from syphilis to insanity were the result of masturbation. The Englsh woke up to thenselves And dont do it anymore the ex colonys are abandoning it in droves as they realise it is harmful But the US where it is a Bilion dollar busines is holding out as long as it can. I am sory that you fell into the clutches of these snake oil salesmen and I supose ther is nothing you can do about your disability now aside from protecting you own children when you have them. Try not to remain deliberately ignorant on this issue.

    Circumcision Policy Influenced by Psychosocial Factors

    The debate about the advisability of circumcision in English-speaking countries typically has focused on potential health factors...
    &
    You make a lot of sily statements, Like you have a real problem with people that have intact genitalia. Do you know what the word mutilation means? Why do you thionk that less then 20% of the worlds men are circumcised, because it is such a terific Idea. this form of genital mutilation has been around for thousands of yeas and the vast majority of it is done for religious and religion asociated reasons. In english speaking countrys it began during the Victorian era to stop boys from masturbating becayse the widom of the britich medical fraternity said that any number of diseases ranging from syphilis to insanity were the result of masturbation. The Englsh woke up to thenselves And dont do it anymore the ex colonys are abandoning it in droves as they realise it is harmful But the US where it is a Bilion dollar busines is holding out as long as it can. I am sory that you fell into the clutches of these snake oil salesmen and I supose ther is nothing you can do about your disability now aside from protecting you own children when you have them. Try not to remain deliberately ignorant on this issue.

    Circumcision Policy Influenced by Psychosocial Factors

    The debate about the advisability of circumcision in English-speaking countries typically has focused on potential health factors. The position statements of committees from national medical organisations are expected to be evidence-based; however, the contentiousness of the ongoing debate suggests that other factors are involved. Various potential factors related to psychology, sociology, religion, and culture may also underlie policy decisions. These factors could affect the values and attitudes of medical committee members, the process of evaluating the medical literature, and the medical literature itself. Although medical professionals highly value rationality, it can be difficult to conduct a rational and objective evaluation of an emotional and controversial topic such as circumcision. A negotiated compromise between polarized committee factions could introduce additional psychosocial factors. These possibilities are speculative, not conclusive. It is recommended that an open discussion of psychosocial factors take place and that the potential biases of committee members be recognized.
    Goldman, R., “Circumcision Policy: A Psychosocial Perspective,” Paediatrics & Child Health 9 (2004): 630-633.
    (more)
  • Nam Era Vet #1 DNA TLC 2012/07/02 05:36:44
    No
    Nam Era Vet #1 DNA TLC
    +4
    I had it done as a new born by a doctor with my parents consent for infection reasons and I have no regrets. It did not traumatize or cause any problems. Big Government strikes again.
  • Brynn 2012/07/02 05:32:17
    Yes
    Brynn
    +1
    I'm a woman and I dont want to live in a world where everyone is uncircumcised. But it's really not fair that parents get to decide if their child gos through an irreversable, painful and body altering experience.... Do you ever wonder how our ancestors came up with some of these traditions?
  • Robbb Brynn 2012/07/02 11:10:32
    Robbb
    +1
    You are living in a world where more then 80 % of the men of the world are intact or unmutilated as you would say. soon the only way you will find the man you want is to become a Jew or don a burqua. Because it will be only Jews and Muslims and the odd other primitive tribe that will subject their children to this. As for why it is done. Religious initiation it separates, Jews. Before them the upper-class Egyptians did it to show their social separation from the plebs. The Muslims do it for the same reason and it is part of their cultural but not religious heritage. Other groups do it as a rite of passage into manhood, the only countries that do it for so called health reasons are the English speaking countries where it was originally begun to stop boys from masturbating during the Victorian era these countries have now largely abandoned the practice except the USA because there id too much money being made from it there and it is hard to get a good market down.
  • Rich Ma... Robbb 2012/07/02 11:34:19
  • Robbb Rich Ma... 2012/07/02 11:49:46
    Robbb
    +1
    Good on you for your words. the practice in England is just about completely dead now, but there is still some happening in NZ Australia and Canada but they also are abandoning it rapidly. The problem with T=the US is that there is just too much money in it and the proponents are to well organised.
  • selena costa 2012/07/02 05:24:16
    No
    selena costa
    +1
    without the parents consent the doctors cant perform that practice. When the child's 18 they can do what ever the hell they wanna do.
  • Chris G... selena ... 2012/07/02 06:09:37
    Chris Garman
    +1
    Do you really think an 18 year old boy is goin to go in and ask the doc to cut him at that age?
  • Robbb Chris G... 2012/07/02 11:11:09
    Robbb
    No I dont and why do you think he would want to?
  • selena ... Chris G... 2012/07/02 14:48:56
    selena costa
    that's not the point :/
  • Robbb Chris G... 2012/08/29 09:37:18
    Robbb
    Do you think an 18 year old girl is going to ask for a mastectomy in order to avoid the posibility of breast cancer?
  • Yes
    Pixie·ŸŸMzAwesome♠ƤĦĂĔŢ♠
    +1
    There is no real reason to do it. If the boy wants it later in life it should be up to him to decide.
  • Chris G... Pixie·Ÿ... 2012/07/02 06:10:29
    Chris Garman
    they do it shortly after birth so they don't remember it!
  • Robbb Chris G... 2012/07/02 11:14:39
    Robbb
    I sugest you check into that. your ignorance on the subjectis showing. Have you ever had a bad and painful accident? I have and I dont rember the pain either but it was there. pain alters the mind and they have been doing studies o babys to check into this,
    Psychological Effects of Circumcision Studied

    An article titled "The Psychological Impact of Circumcision" reports that circumcision results in behavioral changes in infants and long-term unrecognized psychological effects on men. The piece reviews the medical literature on infants’ responses to circumcision and concludes, "there is strong evidence that circumcision is overwhelmingly painful and traumatic." The article notes that infants exhibit behavioral changes after circumcision, and some men have strong feelings of anger, shame, distrust, and grief about having been circumcised. In addition, circumcision has been shown to disrupt the mother-infant bond, and some mothers report significant distress after allowing their son to be circumcised. Psychological factors perpetuate circumcision. According to the author, "defending circumcision requires minimizing or dismissing the harm and producing overstated medical claims about protection from future harm. The ongoing denial requires the acceptance of false beliefs and misunde...


    I sugest you check into that. your ignorance on the subjectis showing. Have you ever had a bad and painful accident? I have and I dont rember the pain either but it was there. pain alters the mind and they have been doing studies o babys to check into this,
    Psychological Effects of Circumcision Studied

    An article titled "The Psychological Impact of Circumcision" reports that circumcision results in behavioral changes in infants and long-term unrecognized psychological effects on men. The piece reviews the medical literature on infants’ responses to circumcision and concludes, "there is strong evidence that circumcision is overwhelmingly painful and traumatic." The article notes that infants exhibit behavioral changes after circumcision, and some men have strong feelings of anger, shame, distrust, and grief about having been circumcised. In addition, circumcision has been shown to disrupt the mother-infant bond, and some mothers report significant distress after allowing their son to be circumcised. Psychological factors perpetuate circumcision. According to the author, "defending circumcision requires minimizing or dismissing the harm and producing overstated medical claims about protection from future harm. The ongoing denial requires the acceptance of false beliefs and misunderstanding of facts. These psychological factors affect professionals, members of religious groups, and parents involved in the practice."

    Expressions from circumcised men are generally lacking because most circumcised men do not understand what circumcision is, emotional repression keeps feelings from awareness, or men may be aware of these feelings but afraid of disclosure.
    Goldman, R., "The Psychological Impact of Circumcision," BJU 83 (1999): suppl. 1: 93–102
    (more)
  • Pixie·Ÿ... Chris G... 2012/07/02 14:51:02
    Pixie·ŸŸMzAwesome♠ƤĦĂĔŢ♠
    but there is no reason to do it. I wasn't even talking about the pain.
  • c.stuartHardwick 2012/07/02 05:19:18
    Yes
    c.stuartHardwick
    +4
    I have to agree. There is no scientific data supporting the practice, which became commonplace only because of the influence of Jewish doctors in the west. As often happens, these well-meaning folks made up rationalizations for what they thought they were meant to do and never TESTED the idea, just as happened with tonsils in the '60s. Circumcision is mutilation, plain and simple.
  • JCD aka... c.stuar... 2012/07/02 09:08:41
    JCD aka "biz"
    +2
    Circumcision is not common in the West, except in America.
  • Robbb c.stuar... 2012/07/02 11:25:56
    Robbb
    +1
    Actually the practice became popular only in the English speaking cultures during the Victorian era. The (West as in Europe not counting Britain never circumcised their children or men)These countries were influenced by British medical thinking. These clowns decided that masturbation was the cause of any number of diseases ranging from syphilis to insanity. in any case the fad caught on in the colonies and ex colonies. it became obvious that the reasoning was nonsense so by the time of the first world war it was waining big time, then the US army was convinced by quacks that it should circumcise its conscripts to protect against infection and std's that is why the culture is so slow to leave the US there is a very powerful lobby involved in this and it is a billion dollar business even to day. You are right to an extent about there being Jewish involvement though as they have a huge influence on editorial comment in both the press, media, and entertainment.

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