Mayor de Blasio and Rabbis Near Accord on New Circumcision Rule.
In November last year, a newborn boy in Brooklyn was brought to his pediatrician’s office because he was being unusually fussy after feedings. The doctor discovered a cluster of lesions on the boy’s penis, then learned that during the boy’s recent circumcision ceremony, the circumciser who performed it had used his mouth to suck blood away from the incision.
Like three other babies last year, the boy had a potentially fatal herpes infection following an ancient Jewish ritual known as metzitzah b’peh, or oral suction. The administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg had tried to regulate the practice, over the fierce objections of ultra-Orthodox rabbis, by requiring that the circumcisers have parents sign a consent form that acknowledged their awareness of the procedure’s risks.
More than two years after the regulation was passed, however, the consent forms appear to be rarely used. Meanwhile, the number of herpes infections suspected to have been caused by the practice in New York City jumped last year.
The situation now presents a conundrum for Mayor Bill de Blasio. City health officials have advised that the ritual should never be performed, but the growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community that cherishes it represents a crucial political constituency for Mr. de Blasio. So he pledged during his campaign to rescind the consent requirement on “Day 1” of his administration and find a solution that would be more acceptable to Orthodox leaders, while still protecting children’s health.
Members of the de Blasio administration have conferred about half a dozen times over the last year with Orthodox leaders about the issue and are now close to a compromise agreement, said Avi Fink, the mayor’s deputy director of intergovernmental affairs, an Orthodox Jew involved in the discussions. The goal of the new rule would be to better educate parents about the ritual’s health risks, while respecting their right to have it done, he said.
“You can have something on paper that seems robust, and maybe even seems invasive and strong,” Mr. Fink said of the consent requirement. “But part of how the mayor is going to ensure success in this is how many people are we actually touching and communicating with, and how much awareness and education can we actually accomplish.” . . .
Mr. Cohn, 85, says he believes that when properly conducted according to the God-given tradition, the ritual is safe. His association mandates annual herpes testing and other precautions, like having mohelim rinse with antiseptic mouthwash before the ritual.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/nyregion/mayor-de-blasio-and-rabbis-near-accord-on-new-circumcision-rule.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
Posting this for information, my thoughts notwithstanding.
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