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After a German court ruled on June
26 to ban circumcision, debate about the practice continued in Canada and
elsewhere. Judges in Cologne, Germany, ruled that the “fundamental right of the
child to bodily integrity outweighed the fundamental rights of the parents” to
have their son circumcised.
The Coordinating Council of Muslims
in Germany denounced the ruling as a “big blow against integration.” In the
United States, the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles condemned the German
ruling as “an attack on one of the fundamental principles of Judaism” and urged
legislation in Germany to ensure the practice continues.
The World Health Organization
supports circumcision to help prevent the spread of HIV. According to a WHO
statement, “There is compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces the
risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60
percent.” Also, “Three randomized controlled trials have shown that male
circumcision provided by well-trained health professionals in properly equipped
settings is safe.”
In Montreal, a conference was held
Wednesday by “intactivists” (a play on the words “intact” genitalia and
“activist”). “We absolutely agree with the German court’s ruling that a boy’s
right to keep all of his body parts and keep his physical integrity takes
precedence over the religious beliefs of his parents, and we look forward to
Canada passing a similar law,” said Glen Callender, founder of the Canadian
Foreskin Awareness Project, who helped organize the conference.
In a 2009 position paper, the
Canadian Pediatric Society concluded that “the over-all evidence of the
benefits and harms of circumcision is so evenly balanced that it does not
support recommending circumcision as a routine procedure for newborns.”
Callender emphasized that
intactivists are not against adult males choosing to undergo circumcision.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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