Scottish NHS calls for end to religious circumcision funding

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2026/02/scottish-nhs-calls-for-end-to-religious-circumcision-funding

65 points · 12 comments · view on lemmy.world

12 Comments

CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de · 18 pts · 195d

Scottish NHS calls for end to funding for religious genital mutilation

Fixed that for you

rogsson@piefed.social · 12 pts · 195d

Mutilating baby boys being legal is pure insanity. Hope the rest of the Neanderthals in the world follows. 

Swaus01@piefed.social · 8 pts · 194d (6 replies)
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tetris11@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 194d (2 replies)

I got circumcised as a kid. We went to an upmarket jewish practicioner who botched the job because he was used to doing it on younger kids, and then blamed my parents culture for leaving it too late.

We went to the NHS who thankfully saved my penis (he's fine, thriving even) and I'm forever grateful to them for doing the procedure correctly instead of winging like that upmarket cunt did.

In retrospect, I like the way it looks, but if I had a kid I'd definitely spare them the ordeal of it. I also have mixed feelings about it not being supported on the NHS since the danger of it going wrong in the hands of private is way higher than say getting a nose piercing - as in, if it's to be done anyway, might as well have it done in a sanitary hospital with qualified surgeons

Swaus01@piefed.social · 2 pts · 194d (1 reply)
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tetris11@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 193d

Cultural reasons mostly, like getting your kid christened to appease that one grandparent, whilst you yourself nor your partner have ever set foot in a church

Drusas@fedia.io · 2 pts · 194d

Alternatively, it can one of the good ones if a change requires consensus.

IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 194d

funny thing is, many religious jews don't consider the hospital circumcision as a real one anyways.

RobotToaster@mander.xyz · 0 pts · 194d

no, not mine

They probably were, the Barnett formula means England effectively subsidises Scotland.

TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 194d (3 replies)

They shouldn't just remove funding for it, they should make it illegal. In general, children should have autonomy over their own bodies - whether it be in the case of genital mutilation (of any sex or gender), taking puberty blockers, overriding parental lack of consent to get immunisations, etc

HermitBee@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 193d (2 replies)

children should have autonomy over their own bodies ... overriding parental lack of consent to get immunisations, etc

This is interesting. Everything you've said I agree with, but I wonder if that's just because I agree with those things.

For example, I don't believe that children should be able to override their parents' wishes and skip immunisations. And I'm not sure at what age it is appropriate to allow a child to opt to be circumcised for decorative or religious reasons.

TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 193d (1 reply)

In my opinion, it is appropriate to allow a child to make irreversible surgical decisions about their body once they are at least pubescent, and can demonstrate full informed consent about the procedure

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 193d

18, the legal age of medical consent in most countries.

Meanwhile, let's teach boys basic hygiene.

dxgsthrr@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 195d

If Scotland is the only nation doing this, then I would support removing funding for this. It is not a medical procedure. It is a religious procedure that can lead to health issues if done improperly, but then so is ear piercing.