Rolling Doughnut has the story.

Embedding is not enabled, apparently because of Youtube discrimination. But I hope my allies find a way to promote these videos.

This post is dedicated to our sometimes-more-PC-than-fair friends at Jewschool.

The Independent reports,

Hundreds of British schoolgirls are facing the terrifying prospect of female genital mutilation (FGM) over the Christmas holidays as experts warn the practice continues to flourish across the country. Parents typically take their daughters back to their country of origin for FGM during school holidays, but The Independent on Sunday has been told that “cutters” are being flown to the UK to carry out the mutilation at “parties” involving up to 20 girls to save money.

The facts appear to be as follows:

There are a disproportionate amount of Jewish doctors (and even Jewish organizations) involved in the debate on domestic and African circumcision.

Jews–for obvious reasons– have a strong bias towards a pro-circumcision position.

Conclusion: It would appear that the Jewish pro-circ bias is affecting policy towards a pro-circ position.

Thoughts: I can’t help wondering if circumcision policy — both here and in Africa — would be different if Jewish doctors and scientists were excluded from the equation.

Perhaps Jews should recuse themselves from the policy debate because of cultural bias.

The birth of a son to a young couple from Israel’s Central Region turned into a string of nightmares when the mohel who performed the bris made a poor incision, causing severe injuries. As a result of the slip the infant had to undergo some ten operations and still requires further treatments.

During the bris the mohel bandaged the organ too tightly, causing excessive pressure. The infant cried all night and the next day. The worried parents called the mohel, who said he would come the next day, but did not arrive. The parents took the baby to the hospital, where doctors discovered how serious the damage was.

The Rishon Letzion Magistrate’s Court recently sentenced the mohel to six months’ community service and a fine of NIS 10,000 ($2,650).

Circumcision is just a little snip. No big whoop.

Hat tip: OTD

David Llewellyn reports,

At one of the last sessions, the speaker from “Operation Abraham,” an Israel-based group that apparently hopes to be engaged to assist the U.S. in circumcising black and Hispanic males, put a photo of an intact male up on the screen. The figure of an elephant had been drawn around the penis so that the intact penis looked like an elephant’s trunk. The words “Yes! A circumcision please!” had been added to the photo. I remonstrated loudly until this smear against intact males was taken down. I then promptly left the session.

Where did this happen? At the CDC sponsored 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference.

Why is it that even as Jews have assimilated and rejected many religious practices, such as strict Kashrut, we continue, as a community, to cling to circumcision?

Does Dana accept any other male-only ritual? Or just the one that involves penis slicing? Like most other Liberal Jewish feminists?

Keep in mind, these are the responses of a woman whose “endorsed” section includes such oh-so-gender-sensitive publications as Feminist Law Professors, Feministe, and Feministing.

Goldstein gives some typical responses.

But there’s also a deep emotional tie to circumcision; a feeling of pride that Jews are physically marked as such — that a Jewish man can never totally escape his Jewishness, because it is inscribed on his body through circumcision. During the Holocaust, this was one way in which Jews were identified by the Nazis. We Jews are rightfully attached to that history. One of my friends, who is studying to become a rabbi, recently told me he considers circumcision the single most important Jewish religious obligation.

Her answers don’t reflect the true answer. The true answer is quite simple.

Jews continue to “cling” to circumcision in such large numbers because the kid can’t refuse. That is the only reason. There is no other reason. If Jewish circumcision were done at age 18 or 21, the circumcision rate for Jews would drop dramatically.

Edgar Schoen: Among a long line of Jewish doctors seeking to circumcise all American boys for dubious reasons

Konner seems inclined to fear Intactivism as something prone to anti-semitism, instead of a reasonable concern about cutting babies’ genitalia.

MB: It seems like odd timing, given the uproar over health care reform. Rush Limbaugh is already saying, “Leave our penises alone, too, Obama!”

MK: That’s where I put on my Jewish hat and start worrying that you’re going to get some nasty things said about Jewish influence on medicine. Male babies in many cultures are circumcised, including in Islam and many African cultures, but in the West it’s associated with Jews. Although I think most of the opposition to circumcision is not really in any sense anti-Semitic, there’s a fringe that thinks somehow this has been imposed on the American baby by the Jews because there are so many Jewish doctors.

Well, Melvin, why would this fringe think such a thing? Because it isn’t just that “there are so many Jewish doctors,” but also, because so many of the circumcision advocates have been Jewish doctors.

Look.

So I have a solution. Jewish doctors should recuse themselves from the debate on routine neonatal circumcision since they are culturally biased. Instead of bringing in Operation Abraham from Israel to preach the glories of genital cutting for American babies, we should have no Jews in this debate, since we have far too much skin in this one.

And Jewish pro-circ advocates need not get in a huff that they are being targeted for a bias that they SO DON’T HAVE, but rather, should rest assured that this won’t affect the debate one iota, since the science is so very much in their favor anyway and they will be surely vindicated. {snicker}

The expected self-congratulatory tone is salient, overriding.

Non-Jewish rulers over the centuries have tried to stop Jews from religious circumcision. Now they are encouraging the procedure for themselves. U.S. public health officials said this week it is considering encouraging circumcision to help strop the spread of the HIV virus that causes AIDS.

The errors are striking.

Many public health officials believe that performing circumcision on baby boys might lower their risk to the virus in later years. Opponents claim that the surgery is performed without the baby’s consent.

This is not a “claim.” This is a fact.

Circumcision has become accepted in Western [sic] society

No. Circumcision has fallen out of acceptance in all other Western nations.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which has said that routine circumcision “is not essential to the child’s current well-being,” is revising its guidelines towards encouraging the practice, which Jews have performed for 3,500 years.

Aren’t we so wonderful. We have been cutting babies for 3,500 years.

In Uganda, health officials last year recommended that soldiers be circumcised in order to prevent the spread of AIDS, a policy that would represent a complete turnaround from the times that countries prohibited Jews from being circumcised.

It is only a complete turnaround to the extent that nations are making genital cutting mandatory. Keep gloating, frummie.

The ancient Roman emperor Hadrian banned circumcision, a move that may have prompted the Jewish revolt under the guidance of Bar Kokhba.

How is this relevant? Because it is all about how we rock, and everyone is following our circular reasoning. Why should everyone practice male circumcision? Because we practice male circumcision. God said so. End of story. So everyone should cut their male babies.