Circumcision Law Upheld in New York

Article: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/01/13/3116696/federal-judge-upholds-warning-on-controversial-circumcision-rite

Discussion Outline

Note to Parents: I'm not planning on going into the graphic details of "metzitzah b'peh" with my kids (see article). I think it will open up a pandora's box of questions. Instead, I'm going to use the article as a tool for talking about brit milah (bris) in general, rights of parents, and oversight/informed consent issues.  

Brit Milah:

• What is a brit milah/bris? 
• When does it happen? (8 days after a baby boy is born) Where does the tradition come from? (Answer: The Torah; God's covenant with Abraham and the Jewish People) 
• Have you ever been to a brit milah? What do you remember? What happens there?
• Some girls may ask why they don't have a brit milah. There are many different explanations. You can say that girls have zeved haBat/naming ceremonies instead or that girls already have their connection to God--they don't need a circumcision to show it. Feel free to post below if you think of other good explanations. 

Article Summary: There are different parts of the brit milah ceremony. There is a new law in New York requiring parents to give their permission for a mohel/rabbi to do all the parts of the ceremony in a certain way. Some rabbis didn't like that parents first have to give their permission. They brought a case to the courts trying to stop this law. A New York judge just ruled that the law will stay in place.

• Why would a rabbi not want to have to wait for a parent's permission to do brit milah? (Answer: people don't always like someone watching what they do--oversight)
• Oversight can have advantages and disadvantages. What are they? 
• Metaphor to use: You are making a salad and cutting with a knife. Mom is carefully watching you. What is good about this? What is annoying about this? (Annoying to have her hovering over you, nice that she is also making sure you don't cut off a finger).  
• Informed consent: this is a medical term. Parents agree to something, but only after learning about it. In all areas of life, it is important to be informed before giving consent. Can the kids think of examples? Why it is important? (Examples: always reading a contract before signing it; terms of use on computers--read before clicking; signing before a surgery in a hospital)
• Moral of story: importance of religious rites and practices; importance of always understanding what is going on when a medical procedure is occurring  how the New York law is trying to strike a balance between respecting personal religious rights and healthy/safety of the infant.

  Nothing to do with today's topic, but thought some people may be interested to know that "Dear Abby," the advice columnist, passed away this week at age 94. Here's her obituary:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/01/17/dear-abby-advice-columnist-obit/1842601/