Canadian Doctor Cleared of ‘Sex’ Motive in Controversial Circumcision Rite
A Canadian review board cleared of “sexual motive” a doctor who practiced “metzitzah b’peh,” a controversial circumcision practice.
The Ontario Health Professions Appeal and Review Board said in its conclusion published Tuesday that there was no evidence supporting the accusation of anti-circumcision activists that Aaron Jesin acted out of sexual motive in carrying out the tradition of sucking blood out of a baby’s penis following circumcision, the National Post reported.
The practice, in which the ritual circumciser places his mouth directly on the child’s circumcision wound to draw blood away from the cut, is used only in some haredi Orthodox circles.
Some authorities have sought its ban, saying that it risks disease.
It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.
This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions.
We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.
As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday!
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
