The UK Green Party’s Health Policy Working Group is considering whether to back a policy that would restrict circumcision for non-medical reasons; effectively banning Bris Milah in the country, according to a Thursday report in the UK’s Jewish News.
The party’s Working Group has opened a consultation asking members whether parents should only be permitted to approve “an irreversible surgical procedure on a child if that procedure is medically necessary.” Members were also asked to comment on whether “non-therapeutic male circumcision should only be performed on children who are old enough to make an informed choice.”
The issue comes after Iceland became the first European country in 2018 to prohibit non-medical circumcision. The decision drew strong criticism from Jewish and Muslim leaders.
Similar proposals have also been promoted by far-right European parties, including Germany’s AfD and Sweden’s Swedish Democrats, who have been accused of using the issue to target Jewish and Muslim communities.
The HPWG’s consultation officer contacted Green Party members with a survey on the subject, writing that “helping us to respond to this survey will be a huge help in ensuring the Green Party has an updated Health Policy from this Autumn.” The party is scheduled to hold its Autumn conference in September, where a “Zionism is Racism” motion is also expected to be discussed.
If the Green Party adopts such a policy, it could significantly damage its support among Muslim voters, where the party has gained ground in recent years through its strong opposition to Israel.
In January, Jewish organislzations raised concerns after reports that draft guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service suggested that improperly performed circumcision could potentially be considered “child abuse.”
The CPS responded by saying: “We absolutely recognise that for many, male circumcision is a safe and celebrated tradition.
“However, while circumcision is legal, we have recently prosecuted cases where significant harm and distress have been caused to victims where this procedure has been carried out improperly and in unsafe circumstances.”