Judge Tosses Out San Francisco's Circumcision Referendum

According to Religion News Service, a proposed circumcision ban will not appear on San Francisco's citywide ballot in November, a Superior Court judge tentatively ruled Wednesday. Judge Loretta Giorgi has determined that as "a widely practiced medical procedure," circumcision cannot be banned by the city, since California law forbids municipalities from regulating medical procedures allowed by the state. She was expected to make the ruling official July 28 at a hearing on a lawsuit against the proposal. The proposed ban is an attempt by those who consider circumcision cruel and harmful to end the practice in the city for any male under 18. They were led by "intactivist" Lloyd Schofield. "Today's ruling is a win for religious liberty, a win for American values and a win for all San Franciscans," said Howie Beigelman of the Orthodox Union, the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella group.