The federal government
Friday, December 28, 2012
Law
Circumcision of boys remains allowed
Many parents of Jewish and Muslim beliefs have their sons pruned in childhood. In Germany, this is still possible with impunity, as long as the circumcision is carried out medically professionally.

Federal Government creates legal certainty
According to the Basic Law, parents have the right to education. You can decide any questions that affect your children. So also a circumcision of the son according to the rules of medical art.

Against this background, the Federal Government had decided to regulate the circumcision of boys in parental custody.

Pain treatment and education
Parents can consent to the circumcision of their son when practiced according to the rules of the medical arts. Above all, this includes adequate and effective pain treatment.

Before circumcision parents should be fully informed. In addition, the parents must consider the will of the child. Circumcision may not take place if it endangers the well-being of the child. For example, health risks could speak against the intervention.

Religious life in Germany possible
Religious motives of the parents for a circumcision of their boys should not be explored. A person designated by a religious community, such as a Jewish circumciser, may circumcise in the first six months after birth. Prerequisite: He must be trained and qualified as a doctor.

This again proves that Germany is and remains a cosmopolitan and tolerant country. Jews and Muslims are welcome. Religious freedom and religious tolerance are the pillars of our democratic society.

Legal uncertainty remedied after ruling
In May 2012, the Regional Court of Cologne held that circumcision was an unlawful bodily injury despite the parents' consent. The verdict had unsettled many Jewish and Muslim parents. The law, which has been in force since 28 December 2012, now regulates the practice of ancient religious customs in Germany and eliminates the previously existing legal uncertainty.

The law is expressly limited to the circumcision of boys. Genital mutilation, which is sometimes called "circumcision", is banned in Germany.