What is it about?
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.
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Why is it important?
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.
Perspectives
The purpose of the discussion was to suggest that male circumcision should be conducted in a humane fashion, making it as pain-free to its subjects as it is possible. Balancing between group rights and the rights of the child, it is essential to avoid unnecessary suffering.
Professor Raphael Cohen-Almagor
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Should liberal government regulate male circumcision performed in the name of Jewish tradition?, SN Social Sciences, November 2020, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s43545-020-00011-7.
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