To chop or not to chop?

[Vladimir]

Um, wow. Thank you for that...yea...

[Lemur]

A dad is suing to force his 12-year-old to become circumcised. The mom, needless to say, is fighting it. Not clear on how the boy feels. Kind of a weird situation, and I feel for the kid.

Other family law experts agree, but say the courts should at least look into the situation to make sure the surgery is in the best interests of the child.

"You're talking about not just religious instruction or whether you're going to send the child to parochial school or public school," commented Lawrence D. Gorin, a Portland attorney. "This is a matter of permanent change of bodily structure. And it's irreversible."

The mother is running out of legal options.

The Oregon Supreme Court has been briefed, but has not decided whether to take the case.

Mark Johnson, a Portland lawyer commenting on the case, said the court shouldn't let the case be decided based only on the legal papers filed on behalf of the mother and father.

"Frankly, the child should have a lawyer," Johnson said.

[TB666]

I side with the mother in this case.
In 6 years this kid can make this decision himself and I think the court should let him make that choice himself.
And just in case, put a restraining order against sharp objects close to his penis.

[Vladimir]

Wow, really. If it hasn't been done by 12 then why force it? Why doesn't the father also try to impose a court order for him to eat his veggies?

[Sasaki Kojiro]

He says the boy wants to
She says he doesn't

Who to believe? If the kid doesn't want to he should own up and say so.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Hm...I wonder how many 12 years old boys of free will want to have the tip of their penis cut off before they get 18 years old? Circumcision is a sado-masochistic-religious ritual comparable to the Ubangi plates in the lips, female circumcision in East Africa and Burmese women putting rings to lengthen their necks, and some Ethiopian people where whipping 12-15 years old girls has some fertility ritual function. Based on human biological rights reasoning none of these things belong in the 21st century, but based on culture tolerance ideals they should all be allowed. Difficult question, but as long as nobody forces someone else to do any of these things it should probably be allowed. The problem with all these rites is that in the cultures they occur they are usually believed to be necessary to do while the victim is still a young child, and they oppose leaving the decision until 18 years age or similar.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

It's right up there with that barbaric practice of vaccination