UK: Male Circumcision Deemed Potential 'Harmful Practice' in CPS Guidance
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Circumcision remains a profound religious practice connecting generations across Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities, safely performed by trained and regulated practitioners. The procedure also carries numerous health benefits, including reduced penile inflammation, urinary tract infections, and risk of HIV and other STIs. The new CPS guidance rightly upholds its longstanding legal status, correcting misleading earlier drafts and reaffirming that expert practice protects children while preserving this ancient tradition.
Establishment-critical narrative
The updated CPS guidance rightly acknowledges that circumcision can be a “harmful practice” potentially subject to child cruelty charges. Yet, the law still allows non-therapeutic circumcision, leaving infants exposed to irreversible harm from genital cutting, with many documented cases of hemorrhage, shock and sepsis requiring hospitalization. Recent high-profile convictions and hospitalizations show the urgent need for stronger safeguards and for prosecutors to treat all non-consenting circumcisions as potential child abuse.
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