New NYC Commissioner Of Health Says Circumcision Informed Consent Requirement Will Remain In Place

New York City’s newly appointed Commissioner of Health Dr. Mary Travis Bassett said today that the city’s informed consent requirement for metzitzah b’peh (MBP – the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis suction done by haredi mohels immediately after removing the baby’s foreskin and the membrane beneath it) will remain in place.

New NYC Commissioner Of Health Says Circumcision Informed Consent Requirement Will Remain In Place
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

New York City’s newly appointed Commissioner of Health Dr. Mary Travis Bassett said today that the city’s informed consent requirement for metzitzah b’peh (MBP – the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis suction done by haredi mohels immediately after removing the baby’s foreskin and the membrane beneath it) will remain in place.  

"The intention is to keep that in place,” Basset reportedly said.

Bassett was deputy commissioner of health under the previous administration of Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

During Bloomberg's 12-years as mayor he banned smoking in bars and restaurants, trans-fats in restaurant food, and compelled national fast food and chain restaurants to post calorie information for all their menu items. Bassett reportedly oversaw all those campaigns.

Haredi groups have sued the city to have the requirement ended, but have so far been unsuccessful in court.

A Satmar faction announced during the mayoral election that de Blasio had promised to remove the requirement in exchange for their votes – a claim de Blasio later said was false, even though it was made in English on a public address system in front of hundreds of hasidim by a leader of that Satmar faction who was standing only five feet from de Blasio when he made it.

Comments

[Allan]

And who is actually going to enforce this law and arrest haredi mohels who will just continue with business as usual ? Is the NYPD going to assign cops to attend every Bris Mila to interview the parents and make sure the law has been obeyed?

[jancsibacsi]

Allan---"Is the NYPD going to assign cops to attend every Bris Mila to interview the parents and make sure the law has been obeyed?
You never know they might just do that.

[seymour]

Allan---"Is the NYPD going to assign cops to attend every Bris Mila to interview the parents and make sure the law has been obeyed?
You never know they might just do that.

Posted by: jancsibacsi | January 16, 2014 at 04:09 PM

I guess the issue will come up when a baby get sick

[Moe]

The regulation (and it isn't a law from the legislature but rather a regulation from a city agency like a parking ticket) is utterly unenforceable. It's been ignored since day 1. There isn't a single mohel asking for this form to be signed.

And if a parent was asked they would never answer the department of health if asked whether their child got metzitza. The parents would defend the mohel even if there was a question if the child got some infection. This was shown the last time it happened the parent of the infected child stopped answering the city's question and wouldn't even say who the mohel was! (The city never found out.)

[David]

Yet another example of the frumma not following Halacha. Since this practise is not part of Halacha and is based on a medical belief now known to be false it should be abandoned immediately.

[Mefoar]

I guess the issue will come up when a baby get sick

Posted by: seymour | January 16, 2014 at 04:20 PM

No need to worry much it rarely happens.

[jancsibacsi]

Mefoar--You are mentally ill go get help