Male circumcision will stay legal in Germany

Germany's parliament have approved a bill to keep male circumcision legal, after a court ruling earlier this year put the practice into question. Discussions focused on child welfare versus religious freedom. The new law, passed by 434 to100 votes today grants parents the right to authorize circumcision by a trained practitioner. In May 2012, a Cologne court ruled that the circumcision of a young boy on religious grounds amounted to grievous bodily harm, and was therefore illegal. The decision was seen to prompt many Jews and Muslims to question their acceptance and sense of feeling spiritually at home in Germany. Months of debate on the cultural and religious tradition of infant male circumcision in Germany followed. In July, the German Bundestag began debating the difficult issue. Across party lines, lawmakers agreed that Jewish and Muslim religious life must continue to be possible in Germany and appealed to the federal government to draw up legislation to this effect. In August, Germany's ethics council unanimously recommended establishing legal standards, including the observation of minimum requirements such as information, medical pain treatment and a professional operating procedure. In mid-November, the Bundesrat, or upper house of parliament, passed the draft law. Both the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Central Council of Muslims welcomed the move. At a hearing, the Bundestag legal committee examined the medical risks circumcision entails. There, doctors, legal experts and representatives from Jewish and Muslim associations thoroughly discussed the topic with parliamentarians. The most controversial aspect was the question of age. The new law grants parents the right to authorize the circumcision of their son by a trained practitioner. Once the boy reaches six months of age the procedure needs to be performed by a doctor. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at an awards ceremony, warned against excluding Jewish people from society. “It would be inappropriate to tell Jews and Muslims what's good for them,” she said. “Also unacceptable would be to tell Jewish and Muslim parents that the health of the child is unimportant”, she added. In Judaism, circumcision of male infants on the eighth day after birth is an imperative of great importance, comparable to Christianity's baptism. It is founded in the Jewish written law, the Torah: here, God demands circumcision as a symbol of his bond with the Jewish people. In Islam, circumcision is a duty for Sunnis and Shiites alike; it is part of the Muslim faith. According to the German government, male religious circumcision is not forbidden anywhere in the world. Sweden is the only country with legislation, introduced in 2001, that sets out preconditions for the procedure. In the US, where circumcision is a part of basic health care, it is practiced hundreds of thousands of times every year, with the decision being left up to the parents.