Should circumcision be banned?

[The Mikado]

Circumcision of infants is a vile practice that shouldn't be permitted, much like you shouldn't tattoo an infant.  I am daily reminded of this symbol of a covenant of Abraham that I reject and want no part of literally cut out of my flesh.  If circumcision is to be practised, let it be done among understanding adults like Abraham and Ishmael, not infants.

[The Mikado]

A matter of religious freedom, Napoleon?  A matter of freedom that I am forced to carry the mark of a religion that I regard with distaste and resentment?  Circumcision is the ultimate act of religious coercion, not freedom.  An infant is not a Jew, a Christian, a Muslim, an atheist, until mature enough to know what that term means and believe or disbelieve from his/her own intellect.  I'm stuck with a "property of the Abrahamic Covenant" symbol etched into my skin that I regard with something bordering on loathing every time I enter a shower.  If Uncle Sam had prevented this wicked and barbaric superstition, I would have been eternally grateful.

Edit:  sorry for the rant, but you've hit one of my very, very few issues that still provokes an emotional response.

[The Mikado]

So let's compare circumcision to other permanent irreversible things.  Vaccination not only has the health benefits circumcision wishes it did, but (modern vaccination) leaves no permanent disfiguring mark.  Unless you're one of the whackjobs that thinks vaccination causes autism, then it has a very limited downside (some people get sick from vaccines, but it's a tiny number).

I think circumcision is less like vaccination and more like tattooing.  Should it be legal?  For adults, of course.  Should you do it to 6 day olds?  Probably not. 

[The Mikado]

Circumcision of infants is a vile practice that shouldn't be permitted, much like you shouldn't tattoo an infant.  I am daily reminded of this symbol of a covenant of Abraham that I reject and want no part of literally cut out of my flesh.  If circumcision is to be practised, let it be done among understanding adults like Abraham and Ishmael, not infants.

Yes, it should be banned. It is cruel to treat a newborn this way. If someone wants to do it anyway, let them take their baby to another country. It does not violate a person's religious belief as long as they can take their baby somewhere else.

Please don't agree with me.

[The Mikado]

First Amendment does not allow every religious act.  I can't commit a ritualistic bull sacrifice in my hypothetical back yard.

[The Mikado]

No one would ever consent to doing it once they're old enough to feel and remembering, no matter how beneficial.  Thus, pre-memory is the only time it can really be done.

Doesn't that imply that it's not something that should be done?  I mean, if no one (and that's a bit of an exaggeration: adult circumcision has existed in several places) would be willing to do it if consent is an issue, doesn't that imply that they find having their genitals mutilated an inherently problematic practice?

[The Mikado]

Lately I've been going through the Bible and jotting down my thoughts on various passages for my own reflection, and I got to the story of Tsiporah at the inn. (Exodus 4:24-26)  That caused me to think of a question I hadn't before, and which a quick search was unable to answer. What is done with what is removed?  I doubt the example of Tsiporah is followed, at least I hope not.

You mean throwing the foreskin at her husband and calling him a "bloody husband?"  No, that's not a part of the traditional practice.

Also, what translation calls Zipporah "Tsiporah?"