July 27, 2012
In the Episcopal Church, some say that likening circumcision to child abuse “echoes the ugly anti-Semitism of medieval Europe.”
Despite the opinions of German judges, Jewish rabbis, Muslim imams, British royals, Episcopalian pundits, and even Franco-American writers, circumcision will continue to be a hot-button topic. Opposition to it will inevitably lead to charges of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia. While the first charge can lead to ostracism, fines, or short jail terms in countries not particularly keen on freedom of speech, the second can be lethal. Circumcision’s opponents will continue to see the practice as a barbaric and unhygienic maiming of defenseless infants. As with all such social disputes, judges and politicians will see it as an opportunity to extend their power over their subjects” lives.
I believe circumcision is a matter that should be left to the parents. But it seems ridiculous to quibble about their right to maim their children postnatally when they are free to kill them beforehand.
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