Should liberal government regulate male circumcision performed in the name of Jewish tradition?

Cohen-Almagor, Raphael

Abstract

The word "circumcision" comes from Latin circum (meaning "around") and cædere (meaning "to cut"). Cultural and religious justifications are employed to convince members of the community as well as outsiders that circumcision is reasonable and just. The purpose of the discussion is to suggest some cardinal changes to the practice of male circumcision in order to make it more humane and less painful to its subjects. Balancing between group rights and the rights of the child, it is essential to avoid unnecessary suffering. It is one of the liberal state’s obligations to protect the best interests of vulnerable third parties. The article opens with some preliminary data about male circumcision and then explains its importance in Judaism. It examines the medical reasons for male circumcision and the risks involved in the practice; subsequently, it discusses the critique of male circumcision. The article also highlights the points of agreement and disagreement between those supporting and opposing the ritual and insists that male circumcision should be performed by using anaesthesia. The final part of the article includes a proposal for humane male circumcision that considers religious sentiments and the rights of the child, aiming to strike a reasonable balance between competing interests. I hope the proposal will be debated in parliaments in the western world.

Citation

Cohen-Almagor, R. (2021). Should liberal government regulate male circumcision performed in the name of Jewish tradition?. SN Social Sciences, 1(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-020-00011-7

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 6, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 9, 2020
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Nov 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 10, 2020
• Journal: SN Social Sciences
• Electronic ISSN: 2662-9283
• Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 8
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-020-00011-7
• Keywords: anesthesia; children's rights; culture; male circumcision; Judaism; religion
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3633022
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43545-020-00011-7