Ban on Circumcision Could Become Law in Santa Monica
KTLA News
4:24 a.m. PDT, May 27, 2011
SANTA MONICA , Calif. — Circumcising a boy under the age of 18, even for religious reasons, may soon be against the law in Santa Monica .
A proposed ban on circumcision is already on the November ballot in San Francisco .
Now supporters of the MGM Bill, which stands for male genital mutilation, are hoping to do the same in Santa Monica .
Female circumcision, or also called female genital mutilation, is already outlawed in the U.S.
Jenna Troutman, a spokeswoman for the group MGM Bill and founder of the website wholebabyrevolution.com, says males should get the same protection.
The group describes circumcision as a painful and unnecessary procedure.
But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, circumcision has been associated with a lower risk for HIV, urinary infections and the transmission of STD’s.
Circumcision of male infants is a religious requirement in Judaism and some say a ban would be a violation of the 1st Amendment.
The proposed measure in San Francisco would “make it a misdemeanor to circumcise, excise, cut or mutilate the foreskin, testicle or penis of another person who has not attained the age of 18,”
Under the San Francisco measure, circumcising a boy would result in a fine of up to $1,000 and up to one year in jail.