SF to Vote on Circumcision Ban

San Franciscans are indeed going to be the first American voters asked to decide on giving circumcision the chop. "Intactivists" have succeeded in getting a proposal to ban the circumcision of males under 18 onto the November ballot, reports the AP. The proposal would make performing a circumcision—even for religious reasons—a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to a year in jail.

Supporters of the initiative say circumcision is a cruel and unnecessary practice, while opponents say the measure is a blatant violation of constitutional rights that would never make it past the courts even if San Franciscans voted in favor of it. The initiative's proponents call it the "San Francisco Male Genital Mutilation" bill, but the city attorney has decided to call it "Male Circumcision" on the ballot. (More San Francisco stories.)