German Courts Rule Bans Circumcision Unless Medically Necessary

German courts have ruled that circumcisions of newborn boys is against the law unless there is a medical reason for the procedure. The German government has taken the rights of the child so far that the rights of parents are almost nonexistent and this is just one more example of the ridiculous nature of these laws. Now even a parent's religious wishes do not come before the rights of a newborn child. For Muslim and Jewish parents in Germany, this news has sparked outrage.

Since when do children get the say in medical procedures? According to a judge in the Cologne region of Germany, because the child cannot consent to the procedure it should not be performed. So does this mean that since a child cannot consent to a cleft lip repair it should not be done either? The parents would have to give permission and in Germany they are being told for something as simple as a routine procedure performed on young boys throughout the world that they don't have the right to make that decision.

The court case that brought about this ruling stems from the circumcision of a Muslim newborn boy. The boy started bleeding two days after the procedure so his parents took him to the Cologne University Hospital where doctors called the police. This is even more disturbing. Parents take their child to the hospital for a minor complication and the hospital's first reaction is to call the police? In fact the original doctor who performed the procedure was brought up on charges but later acquitted since at the time the procedure was not against the law.

Across the country religious groups are urging the German parliament to make a clear and precise ruling. Many are hoping that the ruling is overturned as it should be. At some point parents must stand up to governments who are working hard to take their rights away in regards to their children.

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