This brings us to the rights-based argument for a ban and its deep logical difficulty. The problem is that ban supporters apparently assume that newborns just happen to be born when and where they are, and then we may begin worrying about their rights. 12/
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But in a free society, the state cannot control when and where newborns are born-- only parents can, through actions (conception, moving house) that take place prior to the birth. Moreover, the assumption seems to be that the effect of the ban will be to lower parents'...13/
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This may be true for some, but it will not be true for many-- who likely will become even more committed to circumcising their sons. I cannot speak for Muslims, but certainly this would be true for the vast majority of Jewish parents. 14/
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Such parents will respond to a ban in one of 3 ways: (a) emigrating to a country that permits newborn circumcision; (b) delivering the boy in a country that permits infant circumcision [option foreclosed by the draft Danish legislation); & (c) secretly circumcising the boy. 15/
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And anyone who knows the Jewish community knows that option (a)- mass emigration- is the most likely result. Finally, given how predictable this outcome is, it's hard not to wonder about the motives of those who push for a ban. 16/
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In the case of Denmark, this would be a very sad end to a storied Jewish community. Denmark is rightly famous for having saved its tiny Jewish community from Nazi clutches, helping them to escape to Sweden. Unspeakably sad if this is how it ends. 17/
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Finally, let's underscore the logical problem with framing the issue as one of rights of the child. Observe that no one thinks that a child has rights 9 months *before* s/he is born. Parents have all the rights then, right? 18/
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So proponents of circumcision-bans want parental discretion to be limited when it comes to *circumcising* the boy, but not when it comes to *having* the boy. But in religions that mandate circumcision, these decisions are inextricably linked. Parents in these communities.. .19/
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... choose to have children bc they expect to be able to raise them according to the values & practices of their religion. And so if they discover they can't raise the child as they want to, they will take corrective action *before* the baby is born. 20/
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In short, it's illogical to focus narrowly on the child's rights when the issues concern the very reasons why children are or aren't brought into the world (in a particular country). P.S. I haven't even gotten to enforcement. Circumcision police, anyone? END
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Mazor, orthodox Jewish philosopher, argues circumcision morally wrong outside of Judaism, plausibly violates child's rights even within, but that competing interests weigh against a ban https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/japp.12275 …pic.twitter.com/dL9HRdE1n0
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