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Dec 4, 2016
Proposed Law: regulating circumcision
MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) has proposed a law that will surely be knocked down by coalition members.
Stern's proposal is to regulate the circumcision industry. Currently, mohalim in Israel are not supervised by any governing body. Stern's law would have some sort of committee made up jointly by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Religious Affairs - this committee will supervise the industry, set standards and criteria, and give certification to qualified mohalim.
The law would prohibit anybody from offering his services as a mohel unless he meets all the qualifications as set forth within the proposed law in the realm of hygienic standards, training, internships, and more. Violation of this would subject the violator to a punishment of up to 3 years in prison.
Stern has explained in his proposal that circumcision is a religious commandment and most circumcisions in Israel are performed by mohalim who are not doctors, with a minority of them performed by mohalim who are also doctors. While the "doctor mohalim" are subject to supervision and regulation by the medical industry, the majority of mohalim, who are not doctors, have no supervision and no guidelines by which they must work. Currently there is also no legal method of dealing with complaints against mohalim or for investigating medical complications resulting from the circumcision, along with no set of minimum standards for practicing as a mohel.
source: Kipa
I suspect the key word in all that is "hygienic standards", and that is what will cause coalition ministers to oppose it. They will see this as an attempt, even if not immediate, to ban the practice of metzitza b'peh.
Another reason they will oppose it will be simply because they do not like Elazar Stern and see anything he does in the realm of religious legislation as meddling to lower religious standards. I would hope that if they do oppose it just because of who proposed it that they come up with their own proposal to the same end - even if some of the details will be different.
It does not make sense that circumcision is not regulated by the State while far less serious realms (in the terms of actual physical safety) are, while almost all Jewish male babies undergo this procedure.
Stern's proposal is to regulate the circumcision industry. Currently, mohalim in Israel are not supervised by any governing body. Stern's law would have some sort of committee made up jointly by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Religious Affairs - this committee will supervise the industry, set standards and criteria, and give certification to qualified mohalim.
The law would prohibit anybody from offering his services as a mohel unless he meets all the qualifications as set forth within the proposed law in the realm of hygienic standards, training, internships, and more. Violation of this would subject the violator to a punishment of up to 3 years in prison.
Stern has explained in his proposal that circumcision is a religious commandment and most circumcisions in Israel are performed by mohalim who are not doctors, with a minority of them performed by mohalim who are also doctors. While the "doctor mohalim" are subject to supervision and regulation by the medical industry, the majority of mohalim, who are not doctors, have no supervision and no guidelines by which they must work. Currently there is also no legal method of dealing with complaints against mohalim or for investigating medical complications resulting from the circumcision, along with no set of minimum standards for practicing as a mohel.
source: Kipa
I suspect the key word in all that is "hygienic standards", and that is what will cause coalition ministers to oppose it. They will see this as an attempt, even if not immediate, to ban the practice of metzitza b'peh.
Another reason they will oppose it will be simply because they do not like Elazar Stern and see anything he does in the realm of religious legislation as meddling to lower religious standards. I would hope that if they do oppose it just because of who proposed it that they come up with their own proposal to the same end - even if some of the details will be different.
It does not make sense that circumcision is not regulated by the State while far less serious realms (in the terms of actual physical safety) are, while almost all Jewish male babies undergo this procedure.
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Will the regulations apply to moslems also ? Actually, there is no reason to regulate. People do not just look on the internet to select a mohel, but usually ask around from friends family etc. From an infection control view metzitza b'feh should be forbidden. Clearly many will not abide by such regulation.
ReplyDeleteA world turned upside down, regulating everything. Control freaks. Circumcision has been doing quite well for millenia. The mohalim are experts in their field and there is no need for doctors who know little because the spiritual/religious knowledge of the mohalim are ancient and perfected, all according to G-D's Will. Everything is being challenged in order to reduce the holiness of Torah and the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael. Repeat of migdal Bavel.
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