It is not outlawed in Germany. Circumcision is in a legal gray area. It has been since WWII.
A court case was brought forward about a 4yr old Muslim boy, and the doctor was not found completely at fault. While the judge made a ruling that circumcision is "serious bodily harm" - that was for the court in Köln, and
it sets a precedent.
So, Jews and Muslims have come together and gone to the European Commission and the German Parliament, talked with the Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister and the President - and we are looking at a law that takes circumcision out of a legal gray area, to an area protected solidly by the Grundgesetz under religious freedom.
However, due to this being such a legal gray area, neither of my boys are circumcised. The only way that we could get it to happen is by calling up a Mohel, who would not do it because I am not Jewish; or by getting a Muslim doctor to do it. I only know of one in the area, and I am not certain exactly how they do it, and whether or not it would be in agreement with what we believe should and should not be done.
I would have it done in the US under supervision by a doctor - but again,
with the legal gray area, I do not know if a pediatrician would report us to CPS. (this was danced around a lot when I asked) Until it is protected, I can't say "oh well we're American and that's normal where I am from" or "It's my religious beliefs" and us be 100% protected from some crusading lawyer from taking us to court and taking our children away.
Yes, the Jewish hospitals have stopped circumcising. Mohels are treading on thin ice, and many have also stopped until the law says otherwise. There is word that IF something is not done, the Jewish community will leave, as the kosher slaughter ban has never been repealed since the Nazi time, and outlawing circumcision sends a clear "we are not allowed here" message.
Circumcision is legal for a child of the age of consent (16+). The lawyers and adults pushing for a law to forbid it, are pushing for it to be forbidden until a child is of majority age and can decide for himself if he wishes to be Muslim or Jewish. I disagree highly, but a lot of anti-circ people will not listen to reason (even Christians) when you explain that the bible says it must be done on day 8 barring illness... and that Muslims traditionally circ between ages 4-14.
There will certainly be a remnant that buck the law and do it anyway, but then there are risks involved due to there being mandatory pediatric checks here. Unless they are done at a Jewish hospital with doctors who agree with the parents, there can be risk of jail time, fines and CPS removing children. (This is just my limited understanding of where this is headed if the anti-circ groups have their way)
Most your anti-circ crowd will argue against FGM. Well - FGM is not something that any religion preaches or has in their sacred books. It is not in the Quran or the Hadith. It is a cultural understanding and rule - and we need to change the minds of people because it is damaging to health.
Male circumcision otoh, is not. It is in religious writing (including the Christian Bible) and is not harmful to a child, or something that will cause death if it is done correctly, and not removing more than Scripture calls for. Problem is, not everyone who circumcises is doing it from that angle, and the traditional American "in hospital" circ's take way more than they ever should... and have doctors that have no business touching a male child in that area for surgery doing the surgery (OB/Gyns, pediatricians who do not specialize in urology) and using methods that actually damage the function of that body part. So yeah, even I have big feelings about Routine Infant Circumcision.
Please see
this thread in current events.
I really did. You infringe on one right, then all parent's rights to any religious upbringing of their children comes into question.
