Quote:
Originally Posted by danielf
We are not generalising the particular at all, or at least I'm not. I'm not concerned about the fact that this particular circumcision went wrong, because that was completely preventable.
What I'm talking about is that parents decide that it's right to remove part of the penis of their son (which let's face it is rather difficult to undo) without their son's permission when 1. There is no compelling medical reason to do so (at least at an early age), and 2. In the case of the muslim religion (but if I'm not mistaken not in the case of Judaism) there is not even a religious requirement to do it at an early age.
We're not talking ear piercings or inoculations here. We're talking about a part of a man's anatomy, and I don't think it's rather debatable whether it should be up to the parents to decide for their son whether or not he gets to keep it.
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Your assumptions in the above would appear to be:
1. Only medical reasons can be compelling.
It's perhaps difficult for an atheist, agnostic or general non-adherent to understand, but religious practices and ordinances, to the devotee, are compelling in and of themselves. This is something that is recognised in law in this country and pretty much everywhere else. To object on lack of medical grounds is to miss the point entirely.
2. Parents should not conduct religious rituals on infants that can't 'give permission'.
Infants cannot, by definition, give permission. It is the parents' right and responsibility to decide these things for them. Again, atheists etc frequently argue for parents not to do all sorts of religious things on behalf of their children as if it is somehow possible, or desirable, to bring children up in a religious household and yet insulated from the beliefs and practices that go with it. Every family brings its children up in its own customs and practices. Arguing that non-harmful interventions like circumcision should be exempt is absurd - not least because there are arguably far worse things that children can be exposed to as they grow up by parents exercising their right to give their kids a poor diet or to have nothing to do with their education beyond ensuring they actually turn up at school.