German lawmakers launch new assault on circumcision

Proposal supported by 50 legislators from three parties would limit procedure to men 14 and older

BERLIN (AP) — Left-wing lawmakers in Germany are threatening to oppose government efforts to keep male infant circumcision legal.

More than 50 lawmakers from three parties are proposing that parents should have to wait until their son is 14 so he can give informed consent for the procedure.

The proposal, obtained by the Associated Press on Monday, would radically amend a government bill that would give parents the power to decide.

The bill was prompted by a regional court ruling that circumcision could amount to criminal bodily harm. The government has enough votes to pass the bill and defeat amendments.

The June court ruling prompted outrage in Germany’s Jewish and Muslim communities. Jews circumcise boys on the eighth day after birth, and Muslims usually perform the procedure early in a boy’s life.