A municipality decides to cancel the warning to parents against religious circumcision of children for this reason
According to TV2, Ballerup was the first municipality in the country to adopt a health policy in 2021 in which parents were warned against religious circumcision of young children. This was considered a unique step about a year and a half ago, but municipal officials have now decided to stop distributing a booklet to the municipality’s citizens, which was part of that new policy, according to Kristeligt Dagblad. .
The health policy of the municipality of Ballerup, which warns against circumcising children for religious reasons, came in the wake of a TV2 documentary about circumcision that aired in October 2021 called “Circumcision Behind Closed Doors,” which also addressed how male circumcision rituals are performed in Denmark.
According to Mette Mortensen, the health officer in the municipality of Ballerup, this is because the booklet in its current form does not conform in its recommendations to the guidelines of the regional health directorate.
The official told TV2, “We shouldn’t act as judges in our advice and guidance, speaking for or against female genital mutilation. That’s up to the parents. That’s why we stopped publishing the booklet.” She added that she didn’t know if or when a booklet with acceptable content would be published, and that it was up to the politicians.
Anti-circumcision stance
When the municipality of Ballerup adopted the new policy in November 2021, the municipality's starting point was to encourage parents in the municipality not to allow their young children to be circumcised for religious or cultural reasons. The municipality demanded that circumcision be postponed "until the child makes his decision." The municipality coordinated with Jürgen Hoppe, a retired general practitioner, to help prepare the booklet. According to Kristeligt Dagblad, he is known for his anti-circumcision stance.
