Miss_Fit

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 · Last updated 2:39 a.m. PT

Rabbi may have given babies herpes

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- City health officials are investigating the death of a baby boy who was one of three infants to contract herpes after a rabbi circumcised them.

Ten days after Rabbi Yitzhok Fischer performed religious circumcisions on twins last October, one died of herpes and the other tested positive for the virus, according to complaint filed by the health department in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The complaint, reported in Wednesday's edition of the New York Daily News, also said health officials later found a third baby who had contracted herpes after being circumcised by Fischer in late 2003.

Under Jewish law, a mohel - someone who performs circumcisions - draws blood from the circumcision wound. Most mohels do it by hand, but Fischer uses a rare practice where he uses his mouth.

...

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...ision%20Herpes

Is there anyone else here who thinks sucking the blood off a male baby's freshly circumcised penis is sick?

nobby

Very sick indeed.

Can someone enlighten this ignorant atheist as to what the religious significance of circumcision is anyway?

There is evidence that it does reduce the likelyhood of catching HIV by about 25% however, so the poor kid who survived the herpes may have a better chance of avoiding HIV!! Not really much comfort though

Miss_Fit

This is what I know, which isn't much. A Jewish circumcision ceremony is known as a Bris, which means Covenant. It's genital mutiliation and no one can convince me otherwise. However, Jews are not the only religion that practice genital mutilation. Other religions also mutilate females, by removing the clitoris. Christians started circumcising males sometime after WWII.

The propaganda surrounding circumcision is cleanliness. Haven't they heard of soap and water? Removing the foreskin will make the penis less sensitive, and removes the natural lubrication provided. The other reasoning I've heard is cancer of the penis. When is the last time you heard about a man dying of cancer of the penis? I'm sure it happens, but it must be rare because I've never heard of someone getting it.

I think it's a very weird ritual that has no purpose whatsoever except to give certain religious leaders a perverse kick, or to deny sexual pleasure, as in the case of female circumcision.

The Rabbi in the above article should be charged with baby slaughter.

If anyone else can correct anything I've written here, please do. I'm in no way an expert on the subject. I ran across the article and wanted to bring attention to the subject due to the death of some of the babies.

Plognark

I was wondering when someone was going to bring this up.

I didn't realize that the guy used his mouth to draw off the blood. :wide:

*twitch*

Miss_Fit

Here's another article about Fischer:

...

Under Jewish law, a mohel is supposed to draw blood from the circumcision wound to remove impurities. While many mohels do it by hand, Fischer uses a practice little known outside ultra-Orthodox communities called metzizah bi peh, in which the mohel uses his mouth.

...

Herpes is far more dangerous to infants than adults because of babies' fragile immune systems. The health status of the two surviving boys was not clear yesterday.

The city "is concerned that the possible transmission of herpes simplex virus type 1 in infants may be continuing as a result of defendant's practice of metzizah bi peh," city lawyers wrote in the complaint, dated Dec. 22. "Defendant's conduct to date constitutes a threat to the public health."

The custom of metzizah is thousands of years old. But experts said that these days, many mohels breathe in through a sterile tube to draw the blood instead of using their mouths directly on the wound, although in some ultra-Orthodox sects, the oral practice is mandatory.

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More here:
http://nydailynews.com/front/story/277069p-237314c.html

The article goes on to say that he was asked to submit to a blood test in November and stop the practice until the results were in. They asked him to use a sterile tube and gloves instead.

The Health Dept. was informed that he wasn't complying, so they filed the legal complaint. His lawyer won't say if he had the blood test or not, citing privacy. What about the "privacy" of those dead babies? They had no choice in the matter. They died because their parents allow rituals.

JerryM

An old medical book I have from the turn of the century discusses tuberculosis of the penis. Was most often seen in Jewish infants after ritual circumcision. Back in the days when many, many people had TB, an infected rabbi could transmit TB bacilli to the circumcision site by the practice of sucking on the wound. I guess all things old are new again.

Shven

Just thought I should point out: Female circumcision is a cultural practise - not a religious one. Not that that makes it any more repugnant a practise though.

Lugubert

Genital mutilation is just sick. There are no proven benefits to the victim or its future partners, medical or otherwise. In Sweden, there is a law against docking of puppy-dogs' tails, but religious genital mutilation of infant boys is permitted (provided suitable topical anesthetics are applied, though.)

Stout Drinker

Aren't most males in the US circumsized? :huh: I know i am and from what I've seen in locker rooms most of the other males are circumcized as well.

My parents wouldn't have had me circumcized for religioius reasons since we were Catholic.


I do know one guy you had that done when he was in his 50's He kept having infections there and that is what the docs recommended. He said it was the most pain he ever experienced. Its really a subject that I don't know much about... :huh:

Miss_Fit