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Oregon Legal Battle Ignites Debate on Circumcision

Submitted by Michael Glass, Sep 19, 2007 19:28

The courts should be wary of any allegation made by James Boldt, the man who wants to have his son circumcised, allegedly for religious reasons. When he was married to the boy's mother, a court document shows that the marriage was a "dominant-submissive relationship". The boy's mother was considered a "slave girl" and James Boldt was considered her "god" or "sovereign," When the woman broke free of this relationship, she obtained custody of the child and obtained a restraining order against Mr Boldt. He objected to the restraining order and had it overturned on the grounds that the master slave relationship "was consensual" that Mr Boldt had stopped beating his wife and there was no "immediate and present danger of the conduct recurring". The court, in its wisdom, agreed with the "god' or "sovereign" and vacated the restraining order. This pious man -or "god" or "sovereign" - is now demanding the right - on the grounds of religion - to circumcise his son. This religious man is now in another relationship with a woman which the Anti-Defamation League (see its Amicus Curiae brief) describes as his "domestic partner". This woman has testified that the boy wants to become an "official Jew". The pious man's older son - by yet another relationship - also says the boy wants to become an "official Jew". Meanwhile the boy's mother has testified that the boy told her that he didn't want to be circumcised. Whom do we believe? Let's not go there. The boy is twelve and a half years old. There's no way that we can be sure that the boy freely consented to be circumcised, and even if he did, he's really not old enough or independent enough to make a free choice. Better to wait until he is a grown man. Then he will be in a better position to make the decision that suits him. Nor is this so inconsistent with what the pious Mr Boldt did with his older son. Mr Boldt converted to Judaism in 2004; his older son converted and was circumcised a year later, when he was 17. Is it such a big ask, then, to wait until the younger boy reaches 18?

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
For me forced circumcision is just an abhorrent business. 10 minutes for 180 ?$! Its an massive sexual manipulation. Based... [MORE]	Peter	Oct 8, 2007 14:23
This battle is not about religion, freedom of religion, the right to follow certain religious practices.....it is the father's desire... [MORE]	silver	Oct 3, 2007 02:01
Circumcision is an irreversible operation. The boy is twelve years old. Wait until he is eighteen and has the chance... [MORE]	Stephen	Sep 19, 2007 20:46
The courts should be wary of any allegation made by James Boldt, the man who wants to have his son...	Michael Glass	Sep 19, 2007 19:28
Just to clarify, FGM or Female Genital Mutilation, including Female Circumcision, has been banned by a federal law for 10... [MORE]	Jay	Sep 19, 2007 11:35
In the Middle Ages Jews were said to kidnap Christian children, circumcise them, and even sacrifce them, drinking their blood.... [MORE]	John Geisheker	Sep 19, 2007 11:06
Somehow I'm not suprised that the executive director of Doctors Opposing Circumcision will make such an Anti-Semitic comment to this... [MORE]	Eileen	Sep 25, 2007 10:46
"What he's saying, in other words, is that now anti-Semitism can be justified because Jews seem to be acting in... [MORE]	Hugh	Oct 7, 2007 02:21
The commonsense solution to this legal wrangle is to wait till the boy is 18. Then the boy can decide... [MORE]	Michael Glass	Sep 19, 2007 10:10
"Surely a parent has the same authority to have a child's vision corrected or a birthmark on his face removed... [MORE]	Laura MacDonald	Sep 19, 2007 09:19
Americans are insane with their obsession of cutting the genitals of children! [MORE]	johndoe	Sep 19, 2007 01:13
The amici are misguided in representing circumcision as a medical decision. There are very few legitimate medical reasons to circumcise.... [MORE]	Ron Low	Sep 19, 2007 00:38
male circumcision should not be permitted on constitutional grounds because many states have passed laws banning female genital mutilation The only... [MORE]	Dan	Sep 19, 2007 00:37
It is fundamentally horrifying to remove sexual tissue from a nonconsenting female unless absolutely medically necessary. This would be the... [MORE]	Spacediver	Sep 18, 2007 22:48
If this was a daughter being considered for a religous circumcision, there is no doubt that it would be struck... [MORE]	Dan	Sep 18, 2007 22:39
A child should have a right to an intact body. Circumcision is barbaric, and religion is organized ignorance. [MORE]	Barrry	Sep 18, 2007 21:57
Seriously, just wait til he's 18. [MORE]	Aaron	Sep 18, 2007 19:16
In 2006, Judge Jordan Kaplan (Cook County, IL) ruled that the mother of an 8 year old boy could not... [MORE]	Dan	Sep 18, 2007 18:17
'Though studies have shown less incidence of sexually transmitted disease in circumcised men, Mr. Geisheker contends that circumcision is "non-therapeutic."'... [MORE]	Hugh Young	Sep 18, 2007 17:26
There primary issue here should be, what does this boy really want? Doesn't this boy need his own lawyer to represent... [MORE]	Butrg	Sep 18, 2007 14:02
This should not be up to the father. If the son wants this, he hsould wait until he is 18.... [MORE]	Jackie	Sep 18, 2007 09:28
And, er, "Jackie", you DO have a basis to comment on this? As the proud owner of a penis, I find... [MORE]	jvon	Sep 18, 2007 17:10
If the son wants it done, then let him have it done. Waiting till 18 does nothing for him. It... [MORE]	Joe	Sep 18, 2007 21:54
"You don't mention smegma. Its smells, and is always given off by the foreskin. I for one would not want... [MORE]	Tom	Sep 20, 2007 11:58
jvon: "As the proud owner of a penis, I find it highly unlikely that the foreskin is more sensitive than... [MORE]	Hugh	Oct 7, 2007 03:39
There are a lot of allegations flying around about this case and the court needs to find the truth in... [MORE]	O'Hara	Sep 18, 2007 08:25
Sir : I support the Jews and Israel in their fight for survival. Circumcision, male and female, appear to produce the same... [MORE]	Douglas Wagner	Sep 18, 2007 07:07
This child should be spared this 'ritual' based on the fact that IF done in a hospital setting, it will... [MORE]	Laurie	Sep 18, 2007 06:59
This, without a doubt, represents serious child abuse as practiced by our so-called intelligent culture. When will we discontinue the... [MORE]	Anthony D'Auria	Sep 18, 2007 12:27
In order for the boy to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on his 13th birthday...and in order for the boy to... [MORE]	Ubu Walker	Sep 18, 2007 19:19
If as the Jewish community usually does this would have been done after 7 days, This boy is 12!! Leave... [MORE]	Bob	Sep 19, 2007 04:27
For 10 years now it has been illegal to circumcise little girls in this country, even if the parents are... [MORE]	Dan	Sep 19, 2007 10:20
Firstly, the government will only interfere with religious choices if there is no less harmful alternative means to effectuate important... [MORE]	Ubu Walker	Sep 19, 2007 14:24
Ubu Walker asserts: "In order for the boy to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on his 13th birthday...and in order for the... [MORE]	Child Protector	Sep 25, 2007 10:02
>There are many Rabbis who will welcome the boy into the Jewish faith... Firstly, all Conservative and Orthodox rabbis,... [MORE]	Ubu Walker	Sep 25, 2007 13:36
"Your freedom to swing your fist ends where my nose begins." Substitute "knife" and "genitals". Children need freedom of religion... [MORE]	Hugh	Oct 7, 2007 03:51

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Oregon Legal Battle Ignites Debate on Circumcision