BOSTON, MA [CHI] — A bill proposed in the Massachusetts legislature can affectively ban ritual circumcision in the State. The bill calls for banning all male circumcision of anyone under the age of 18, unless medically necessary.

Law Proposed to Ban Circumcision in Massachusetts

BOSTON, MA [CHI] — A bill proposed in the Massachusetts legislature can affectively ban ritual circumcision in the State. The bill calls for banning all male circumcision of anyone under the age of 18, unless medically necessary.

The “Massachusetts State Prohibition of Genital Mutilation Act” was filed on January 14th, 2009 by a private citizen, Charles A. Antonnelli. The act would impose a fine and/or up to 14 years in prison on anyone who violates this ban.

Mr Antonelli is the Massachusetts director of a group working to ban what it calls “male genital mutilation.” He has been petitioning the ban on circumcision for four years now, albeit unsuccessful.

The bill is presented by Democratic State Senator Michael W. Morrissey by request, on behalf of his constituent. Massachusetts State law requires any Senator to file anything a constituent requests.

This bill does not seem to have the support of anyone in the Massachusetts legislator and has no sponsors.

Antonelli petitioned Massachusetts legislative many times now, but the bill has never passed committee.

The committee has public hearing scheduled for March 2nd in the Massachusetts State House in Boston; where among other proposed bill, the circumcision ban act will be discussed.

Download the petition PDF

18 Comments

  • Much ado about nothing

    To quote the above article,

    “This bill does not seem to have the support of anyone in the Massachusetts legislator and has no sponsors.”

    Much ado about nothing.

  • Mordechai

    Too many people were happy to see Scott Brown win the Senate seat. Now you see whet happens!

  • Milhouse

    “what a chutspah”, it’s called freedom of expression, and the right to petition congress for the redress of grievances. The idiot who wants this bill has the right to propose it, and everyone else has the right to ignore it.

  • brains people?

    Oh, No.
    Another major news outlet carrying this piece of non-news.
    Any nutjob who lives in the state of MA can push a bill. It does NOT mean that it will go anywhere! It has to pass multiple committees, and it would never gather steam. This is totally not newsworthy!

  • i want to pass a bill

    prohibit minors under 18 years of age to be Black, yep thats right you heard it black,
    no one has to support it but according MA law the senator has to present it, i am waiting to see.

  • Chill Out

    This story is not news worthy.
    All I’d have to do is copy this paper, change where it says Massachusetts to New York, submit it to NY state lawmakers and it becomes a proposed law.
    It’s meaningless.

  • omniscent1

    Actually it is newsworthy. Maybe a few more people will understand there is truly a government process that represents them and use can be used to address true grievances. Maybe if more of us did what this individual accomplished – I will say in this case a ridiculous bill- we could have good governance. After all as Lincoln said: “…government of the people, by the people, for the people…”

  • Evan

    The same people who support a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion which would end the life of their unborn baby think it perfectly ok to tell a mother that she cannot choose whether or not to have a slight cosmetic procedure done that may or may not have a positive heath impact on the child.

    Morons. You cannot argue both sides. Either we have the right to choose or not.

  • Jill Sapione RN

    Have the lawmakers in Boston Mass lost their minds all together? With everything that’s going on in the USA today impacting millons of people’s daily life,the lawmakers are wasting time and money on such a ridiculas law. Do we not live in America? Sounds like Boston wants to become a communist state.The choice is for the individuals and the parents.

  • rebel

    the clowns in this state are not going to be happy until they have a full blown rebellion on there hands

  • John

    I know by law the Senator must file a request by his constituents but this is beyond ridiculous. If I was the Senator with my name on this request or potential bill that represents constituents that think like this and waste government’s time that could be better spent trying to workout it’s fiscal problems,I would look for a new profession.

  • A.J. H.

    Odd, since historically Mass. has been a place of American memory.What happened?

  • Southman

    I am from the South. I sure am glad I don’t share any Yankee blood and DNA. You folks up in Mass? You’re brains must be frozen from the cold weather. NO CIRCUMCISION ! Youse guys ain’t right!

  • chris

    it is every parents right to decide for there child not any one else. who does he think he is to try to decide the fate of other people.

  • D.Smith

    This has got to be most stupid idea I have ever heard. Are we going to disallow ritual circumcision for the Jewish population? this is ridiculous to the extent that we abbrogate the rights of the parents in deciding that they want their sons circumcised for cleanliness. SHAME ON YOU????