According to YNet a California Senate committee has unanimously approved a bill that will block local jurisdictions from banning male circumcision. The measure was was introduced following a controversial anti-circumcision law that was scheduled to appear on the November 2011 ballot in San Francisco and would have made it illegal to circumcise anyone under 18 years old. A group of San Francisco residents - including Jewish and Muslim residents - sued to have the measure removed from the ballot, which happened on July 28 when Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi struck it down.
Senator Noreen Evans, who chairs the Senate committee that approved the bill against anti-circumcision legislation, said that she struggled with the decision to circumcise her own son. She emphasized the need for statewide policies that would allow parents to make their own decisions about their children. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, who co-authored the bill, said that "the government and the police should not be in the middle of who should and should not be circumcised."
The bill will go before the full state Senate next week and if signed into law would block future attempts to prevent parents from circumcising their male children.
Related blog posts:
- Anti-Circumcision Group Publishes "Anti-Semitic" Comic
- San Francisco to Vote on Anti-Circumcision Law
- Circumcision to be Outlawed in San Fransisco?
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Why am I not surprised?
Karen