Circumcision Ban Cut From SF Ballot

Saying it is unconstitutional, yesterday a California judge struck a proposed ban on circumcision from the upcoming San Francisco ballot.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi confirmed a tentative decision she issued a day earlier and came after she heard arguments from proponents of the ban, which would have made San Francisco the first U.S. city to hold a public vote on whether to outlaw the circumcision of minors. Michael Kinane, an attorney for the proponents, told Giorgi that circumcision was not usually performed as a medical procedure. He also said the ballot measure included an exception in cases where circumcision was needed for health reasons. "If you bring in your son and say my custom, my religion requires circumcision of this little boy, the state hasn't said anything on the issue, so there is not a matter of pre-emption," Kinane argued.

Already controversial, the proposed ban garnered additional furor last month when its primary backer published a comic book that many found to be anti-Semitic.