New York – Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration says they are finally ready to work on a policy to address a controversial Jewish practice involving circumcision that will respect religious rights while protecting babies.
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According to Capital New York (http://bit.ly/14wFlKU) de Blasio’s group says they will announce a new policy “soon” regarding metzitzah b’peh,
The details of the policy or when exactly it will be announced have not been revealed.
The practice has been linked to the transmission of herpes simplex virus-1 according to health department officials. The virus can be life threatening for infants. The health department reported four cases of neonatal herpes in 2014 they believed to be connected to metzitzah b’peh.
Currently, parents who want to have the practice performed on their newborns have to sign a consent form from the city’s health department acknowledging they understand health officials recommend against the practice.
Attorneys representing Orthodox sects, who say there isn’t enough evidence to prove the ritual is dangerous, have battled that policy in court.
Information taken from Capital New York
How hard is it to ban Mohelim who have herpes.
De Blasio is already 4 months overdue in releasing his gebrokts policy. And we’re still waiting to hear from his shaatnez task force.
Don’t know what the problem is to sign a consent form? Why is it being fought in court?
If people would not use a mohel who was involved in a herpes case and would not foolishly attempt to hide the identity of such a mohel or naively believe the false claims by such a mohel that he is clean, the problem wouldn’t exist.
The problem is not “metzitza b’peh”; the problem lies in that some continually point fingers at the government and yell “antisemitism” instead of acknowledging that there is a problem for which a solution exists. Clean up our act by forcing these mohels out of business. Stop being naive!