The Oregon Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether a 12 year old boy should be circumcised, and it’s a real mess. A divorced couple are fighting over their rights to make the decision for their son, who is converting to Judaism, the religion of the father (the parent with custody.) The mother is trying to prevent the procedure, comparing it to “sex abuse or physical abuse.”
The mother’s attorney asked the Court whether they would allow the amputation of some other body part, if the father wanted it. The father, a lawyer who is representing himself, has noted that the boy’s preference isn’t relevant. The Judges are wondering whether a parent could impose a ‘nose job’ on a child whose face was ‘just fine.’
The father maintained that a parent could do anything that wasn’t illegal to a child . When a Judge asked if that meant you could get your kid’s face tattooed, the father noted the difference between a traditional ‘mom’ tattoo on the arm, and a swastika on the face.
Four Jewish groups have filed briefs in the case, backing the father and citing religious freedom as the issue at hand. A group called Doctors Against Circumcision are supporting the mother.
I think that kid should run away, on the double. He can seek political asylum, at my house. His dad seems like an arrogant, narcissistic lunatic.
Opinions, anyone?
Mutilation. We only have this problem because the law presently is discriminatory, protecting only girls from genital mutilation. A woman get modify her genitals, but her parents can’t force her into it when she’s 12. Support mgmbill.org.