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Denmark to review male circumcision practices

Denmark has commissioned a report into whether male circumcision is always carried out in line with national health guidelines, the Prime Minister said. 

26 August 2012 - Last updated 12:33PM
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Denmark's Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner.

Photo: Denmark's Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner.

Controversy surrounding the non-medical circumcision of young boys arose earlier this summer when Danish media revealed that the National Board of Health did not monitor the conditions under which circumcision takes place.   

"We must make sure that things take place in a proper way. And the government is taking the initiative to do so. We will investigate whether the National Board of Health recommendations are being met," Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt told national daily Politiken Online.   
 
Under the health board rules, a doctor must be present during male circumcision, which is widely practiced by Jews and Muslims worldwide.   
 
Denmark's Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner said Thursday that a doctor is always present during circumcision, which under the Jewish rite is carried out by a rabbi.   
 
"Our register goes back 250 years and we can document every single circumcision. A journal is also kept in connection with the circumcision itself. The doctor who is present keeps a record of what happens," Lexner told Politiken.   
 
The spokeswoman for the Danish Society of the Islamic Faith said medical assistance was also always present for the circumcision of Muslim boys.   
 
"We have always used medical help in connection with circumcision, and it is not necessary for us to have religious personnel present during circumcision," spokeswoman Bettina Meisner told TV2News.   
 
While there are no restrictions on male circumcision in Denmark, female ircumcision -- or female genital mutilation as it is also known -- is banned and families are not permitted to take daughters abroad to have the practice carried out elsewhere.

Source: EJPress
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