VIENNA Religious groups in Austria called on the government to reaffirm its commitment to religious freedom and the legality of male circumcision.
The Austrian Jewish Community, the Islamic Community of Austria, and Catholic and Lutheran bishops in a July 27 statement called on Vienna to issue a clear commitment to religious freedom and to the legality of male circumcision.
The call came days after Gov. Markus Wallner of the Vorarlberg province in Austria ordered doctors to stop performing infant circumcision for religious reasons until the legal status of the procedure is clarified.
This is a subject that has to be regulated countrywide, Wallner said.
Wallner was acting in reaction to a ruling by a court last month in Cologne, Germany, that ruled against non-medical circumcision on the grounds that circumcision causes grievous bodily harm.
Germanys lawmakers passed a pro-circumcision resolution this month that protects the right to religious-based circumcision of boys as long as it is done by a medically qualified practitioner who avoids inflicting pain.
Gov. Gerhard Doerfler of the Austrian state of Carinthia called for a nationwide legal prohibition against male circumcision, according to AP.
Two hospitals in Switzerland also announced that they would stop male circumcision following the decision.
I see no need to act, Austrian Justice Minister Beatrix Karl said July 27, according to the South African Press Association. In Austria, circumcision is not an illegal act. There also exists the fundamental right to religious freedom.
The Conference of European Rabbis said it will lobby against recent circumcision bans by advocating legislation supporting the practice.
