Circumcision to be Outlawed in San Francisco

*A San Francisco man is trying to get an initiative on an upcoming city ballot that would make circumcision a crime.

Lloyd Schofield, the author of the measure, calls circumcision “genital mutilation.”

His proposed measure would “make it a misdemeanor to circumcise, excise, cut or mutilate the foreskin, testicle or penis of another person who has not attained the age of 18,”

“Tattooing a child is banned as a felony and circumcision is more harmful than a tattoo,” said Schofield.

Under the proposed measure circumcising a boy would result in a fine of up to $1,000 and up to one year in jail.

Schofield must collect over 7,100 signatures for the measure to be included on the ballot.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, circumcision has been associated with a lower risk for HIV infection in international studies and clinical trials, and serious complications with circumcision are rare.