NYC repeals regulations on circumcision rite

The New York City Board of Health repeals a consent form for a controversial circumcision rite.

The vote to repeal the consent form to allow the metzitzah b’peh rite is 9-1, with one abstention.

A law requiring parents to sign a consent form for metzitzah b’peh was enacted in 2012 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg after at least 11 boys contracted herpes from the practice between 2004 and 2011. Two died and two suffered brain damage.

Metzitzah b’peh, a ritual in which the mohel sucks blood from the wound following circumcision, is a common traditional practice among many Haredi Orthodox mohels. When performed directly with the mouth as opposed to through a sterile pipette, it has been linked directly to the transmission of the herpes virus.

— JTA