First San Fran, now: Group Wants Santa Monica to Ban Boy Circumcisions

[The Straight Story]

There's a campaign in Santa Monica to ban circumcisions on boys under the age of 18, even for religious reasons.

http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/Group_Wants_Santa_Monica_to_Ban_Boy_Circumcisions_122606399.html?storySection=comments

Santa Monica residents may be voting on circumcision in their November 2012 ballot, according to the LA Times.

The MGM Bill (Male Genital Mutilation bill), an organization dedicated to placing circumcision bans on ballots across the country, has just proposed an initiative in Santa Monica that would ban the procedure on males under the age of 18. Female circumcision, or what most call female genital mutilation, is already outlawed in California and the United States.

This same organization has successfully proposed a circumcision ban in San Francisco, which means the initiative will appear on the city's ballot for an upcoming vote this fall. Lloyd Schofield, a San Francisco resident who is leading the charge to ban the minor surgery in his city, told the Associated Press, "Parents are really guardians, and guardians have to do what's in the best interest of the child. It's his body. It's his choice."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/santa-monica-circumcision_n_867170.html

[qb]

1. If one looks at circumcision as any other type of elective surgery,

it only makes sense to leave the decision up to the individual who is getting his penis whacked.
Kudos to the humane and rational activists on the West Coast.
:bounce:

[The Straight Story]

2. Same with getting vaccinated - wait till someone is old enough to choose

:evilgrin:

[Fumesucker]

3. Apples and basketballs.. n/t

[Auntie Bush]

5. What ever happened to personal choice? It's the parents decision!

Why is government interfering? The ones who claim...get the gov. off my back don't min when it comes to personal/social behavior. How can the Gov tell Jews how to practice their religion?

[Starry Messenger]

20. A dick can give someone measles?

?

[cali]

4. this isn't a real effort. it's pr to promote their cause

nothing wrong with that and if it reduces the incidence of circumcision, great. But let's face it folks, no way is circumcision going to become illegal. It would be more practical to try and make it illegal for anyone but a doctor to perform it.

[slackmaster]

6. The predictable unintended consequence of such a ban is predictable

People will get their baby boys circumcised elsewhere.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. Mutilating their children in the name of RELIGION.

I'm just quoting Carl Sagan and Christopher Hitchens.

[slackmaster]

10. I'm circumcised and my parents were not religious people

In most cases it's done for sanitary reasons.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. The 'sanitary reasons' are essentially BS.

It was done routinely when I was born; I don't think they even asked my mom. Now, at least, people are given a choice.

We didn't do it to our son. We had gone back and forth about it, then after he was born and I held him in my arms, I knew there was no way I was letting anyone cut him unless there was a damn good reason.

I don't think there is a damn good reason for that particular procedure, frankly.

[Warren DeMontague]

11. Unfortunately, Santa Monica is in the middle of a vast, unpopulated wasteland.

I mean, really, where are those people going to go? Venice?

[slackmaster]

17. They might go all the way to West L.A. or Marina Del Rey

This kind of legislation only hurts businesses and takes choices away from consumers.

[Warren DeMontague]

19. When they said that a huge portion of the underground economy was in tips

I'm not sure that's what they had in mind.

[MrScorpio]

8. OK, I understand SF, it's a city obsessed with uncut manhood

But, why is Santa Monica jumping on the bandwagon?

[Warren DeMontague]

14. Honestly? It's because it's not about "men", it's about babies.

And the baby doesn't have a say in the matter.

[Warren DeMontague]

22. ...and honestly, if I didn't know better

I'd think that was a vaguely homophobic cheap shot.

[arbusto_baboso]

9. Good to see the homeless problem is solved in both those cities.

:sarcasm:

But seriously, the argument that this is somehow equivalent to clitoridectomies for girls is ridiculous.

A circumcision won't eliminate sexual gratification for a boy when he gets older. It certainly hasn't for me. Nor do I remember any "trauma" associated with the procedure.

Geez, these "crusaders" need to just give it a frickin' rest!

[BlueIris]

12. +1,000. FGM is not equaivalent to male circumcision, it's just not.

There's more I could post, but I am so goddamn sick of people drawing this totally inaccurate parallel.

[Warren DeMontague]

15. No, it's not.

But it's still a worthy topic of debate in its own right.

[MrScorpio]

23. I remember the trauma of it happening to me… I had it done in grade school

As a matter of fact, I told my Mom that I wanted it done, because it wasn't done to me as an infant. I was not happy with all the extra skin.

So it was done… And yes, it was pretty painful. When I woke up from the anesthesia, I screamed my head off. Then they knocked right the fuck out again. I can imagine avoiding the whole experience had been done right after I was born.

In spite of all, I'm glad that it was done.

And oh yeah, no complaints from any of the ladies either.

This whole made up outrage is about nothing.

[Dreamer Tatum]

16. Anti-abortion activists could probably point a couple of fingers here.

"Parents are really guardians, and guardians have to do what's in the best interest of the child. It's his body. It's his choice."

[Warren DeMontague]

18. How nice, that they have you to speak for them. nt

[Forkboy]

21. LOL

:thumbsup: