New York – Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration has delayed their presentation to the Board of Health regarding a controversial metzitzah b’peh practice, giving the administration more time to replace Bloomberg-era appointees.
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The administration was supposed to give the presentation to repeal regulations on the circumcision ritual in March, but aides decided to delay the presentation until June to build a more persuasive case, reports the Wall Street Journal (http://on.wsj.com/1FVl1k).
Four of Bloomberg’s appointees’ terms have expired, and there is one vacant seat. Currently, two of the 11 board members are de Blasio’s appointees.
The mayor’s administration announced in February that it would ask the Board of Heath to repeal regulations requiring parents to sign a consent form before the mohel uses his mouth to suck blood from the circumcision wound in the ultra-Orthodox practice. The consent form was supported by Bloomberg’s administration and approved in 2012.
De Blasio wants the Jewish community members to self-report and control their own policy, which Jewish leaders support. They have agreed to ban any mohel from performing the ritual who tests positive for herpes.
The ritual has drawn controversy over the health of the babies involved. Records show that 17 infants from the ultra-orthodox community have contracted herpes since 2000 in connection with the ritual.
So, the way I read it, De Blasio is going to appoint his own men to replace 4 Bloomberg’s expired appointees, 1 vacant, which in addition to the 2 he already appointed, will give him 7 loyal Board of Health members out of 11, at which point he can tell them to repeal Bloomberg’s oppressive regulations. And thus ends the religious oppression in New York City.
This is obviously a good news. But tell me, you, who supported this intrusion into our religion by the government of the New York Soviet Socialist Republic: was it worth it to you? Spending all this money and political capital on the regulation that could never possibly be enforced and was destined to be short lived? And what is this sound I hear? Oh! It’s the millions of your tax money being flushed down the toilet, not mine. That’s fine.
So, the first Democrat Mayor of NYC since 1993, will politically maneuver the timing of releasing a report so the corrupt appointees of the last 20 years will be silenced.
Let freedom ring!
Kudos to His Honor, Mr. de Blasio.