German court decides that circumcision violates bodily integrity

[Kuya]

Circumcising young boys on religious grounds amounts to grievous bodily harm, a German court has ruled.

The regional court in Cologne, western Germany, ruled on Tuesday that the "fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity outweighed the fundamental rights of the parents", a judgement that is expected to set a legal precedent.

"The religious freedom of the parents and their right to educate their child would not be unacceptably compromised, if they were obliged to wait until the child could himself decide to be circumcised," the court said.

"The body of the child is irreparably and permanently changed by a circumcision," the court said. "This change contravenes the interests of the child to decide later on his religious beliefs."

The decision caused outrage in Germany's Jewish community.

The head of the Central Committee of Jews, Dieter Graumann, said the ruling was "an unprecedented and dramatic intervention in the right of religious communities to self-determination".

The judgement was an "outrageous and insensitive act. Circumcision of newborn boys is a fixed part of the Jewish religion and has been practiced worldwide for centuries," added Graumann. "This religious right is respected in every country in the world."

The court specified that circumcision was not illegal if carried out for medical reasons.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe...137489117.html

Never thought a decision like this would come out of Germany of all places.

edit: the case originally involved a doctor and muslim parents.

[Milkster]

So people are finally realizing what an archaic and useless practice circumcisions are? Awesome.

[Tyrath]

Good for them. I think Norway is trying to do something similar?

http://freethinker.co.uk/2012/06/17/...cumcision-ban/

an unprecedented and dramatic intervention in the right of religious communities to self-determination.

That especially makes me lol. Considering how much religious folks try to intervene in everyone else's lifestyles.

[Mrbeansman]

Inb4 a brigade of idiots come in and tell us how ugly uncircumcised penises are.

[Tyche]

Is it this time of the year already?

[Dimmauk]

Is it this time of the year already?

LOL, I was thinking the same thing.

We really need a penis protector , a defender of dick, a cock captain. Who will will do it?

[Dimmauk]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe...137489117.html

Never thought a decision like this would come out of Germany of all places.

edit: the case originally involved a doctor and muslim parents.

I'm surprised too. Germany not liking a dirty jew dick chopping custom? So surprised.

[Lenus]

good thing I don't live there. don't consider myself religious but if I do ever have a son I will get him circumcised.

here we go again.

[ronin sparthos]

Good for them. I think Norway is trying to do something similar?

http://freethinker.co.uk/2012/06/17/...cumcision-ban/

That especially makes me lol. Considering how much religious folks try to intervene in everyone else's lifestyles.

So because some religious individuals have been overly obsessed with controlling everyone else means the secular realm should return the favor in kind?

[Tyrath]

So because some religious individuals have been overly obsessed with controlling everyone else means the secular realm should return the favor in kind?

No. But you can't say there isn't a certain irony in the religious trying to legislate things based on their beliefs, but then turning around a crying foul when it happens the other way around.

I don't agree with this because I think we should return the favor to religious people. I agree with it because I think circumcision is a outdated and barbaric ritual that is only carried forward because of outdated religious texts and has no place in society unless it is needed due to medical conditions.

[Callisto]

man thank god that's not our courts, shoutouts to my mom for thinking ahead and not leaving my wiener as something that women wouldn't want to touch

[archibaldcrane]

Your wiener should have little to do with whether women want to touch your wiener.

[Callisto]

yeah but if it wasn't chopped they'd have to fight their way past Kuya too

[Obev]

My uncut penis is both physically attractive and sexually satisfying. Everyone should be as blessed as I.

Also genital mutilation is bad.

[Dimmauk]

My uncut penis is both physically attractive and sexually satisfying. Everyone should be as blessed as I.

Also genital mutilation is bad.

I'm sure your penis is beautiful on the inside. That's all that matters.

[ronin sparthos]

No. But you can't say there isn't a certain irony in the religious trying to legislate things based on their beliefs, but then turning around a crying foul when it happens the other way around.

I don't agree with this because I think we should return the favor to religious people. I agree with it because I think circumcision is a outdated and barbaric ritual that is only carried forward because of outdated religious texts and has no place in society unless it is needed due to medical conditions.

I see the irony but what I was getting at is the precarious position of trying to legislate away religious practices. I don't agree with many aspects of these traditions (like circumcision) but there is a fine line between interpreting something as a barbaric ritual and full-on religious persecution.

[Lenus]

I'm sure your penis is beautiful on the inside. That's all that matters.

fillet it to find out.

[Correction]

I see the irony but what I was getting at is the precarious position of trying to legislate away religious practices. I don't agree with many aspects of these traditions (like circumcision) but there is a fine line between interpreting something as a barbaric ritual and full-on religious persecution.

It's not without precedent, both child brides and polygamy are outlawed. Extremists will always practice what they will in the dark but as a society we're free to say 'nope' in our laws to this sort of shit.

[Salodin]

I see the irony but what I was getting at is the precarious position of trying to legislate away religious practices. I don't agree with many aspects of these traditions (like circumcision) but there is a fine line between interpreting something as a barbaric ritual and full-on religious persecution.

So many things wrong with this I don't know where to start.

[mightyg]

I never knew how horribly victimized I was as a child. I will now start my slow spiral downward, find god, then start a worldwide campaign to make sure this heinous crime never happens to anyone else ever again. I never had a chance to see my foreskin, but I will carry on it's spirit.