A group seeking to ban the circumcision of male children in San
Francisco has succeeded in getting their controversial measure on the
November ballot, meaning voters will be asked to weigh in on what until
now has been a private family matter.
City elections officials confirmed Wednesday that the
initiative had received enough signatures to appear on the ballot,
getting more than 7,700 valid signatures from city residents.
Initiatives must receive at least 7,168 signatures to qualify.
If the measure passes, circumcision would be
prohibited among males under the age of 18. The practice would become a
misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to one
year in jail. There would be no religious exemptions.
The initiative appears to be the first of its kind in
the country to actually make it to this stage, though a larger national
debate over the health benefits of circumcision has been going on for
many years. Banning circumcision would almost certainly prompt a flurry
of legal challenges alleging violations of the First Amendment's
guarantee of the freedom to exercise one's religious beliefs.
