Circumcision Could Be a Crime in San Francisco

First Happy Meals, and now this? Next November, San Francisco residents may be voting on whether or not circumcision should be illegal there. Lloyd Schoefield, the author of a San Francisco ballot measure that would make it a misdemeanor to “circumcise, excise, cut or mutilate the... genitals" of a person under 18, called circumcision "mutilation."

Many parents and some health officials disagree, believing circumcised penises reduce the spread of H.I.V., although scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are still studying whether circumcision is truly a healthier choice. According to the New York Times, US circumcision rates are on the decline.

The measure isn't on the ballot yet—Schoefiled still needs to collect more than 7,100 signatures—so until then, parents will have to decide for themselves what's right for their son. (We're here to help.)

Did you circumcise your son? Would you take issue with a law saying you couldn't?