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Denmark may ban circumcision of children under 18

The Danish parliament will discuss a minimum age of 18 for non-medical male circumcisions. 

By: JNS

Lawmakers in Denmark are set to debate a measure to ban circumcision for children under 18 after organizers attracted more than 50,000 signatures on a petition.

“I’m really pleased. This is a great day for us,” said Lena Nyhus, the driving force behind Intact Denmark, the group behind the petition, reported The Copenhagen Post.

The petition, citing United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, calls for a six-year prison sentence for those carrying out circumcisions on boys under the age of 18 unless there is a medical reason, AFP reported.

Under Danish law, citizens can require parliament to debate an issue if they gather the required 50,000 signatures. While 83 percent of Danes support age limit, the petition faces an uphill battle in parliament as no major Danish party has expressed support for the measure.

The Jewish community in Denmark has objected to the petition, saying that it has practiced circumcision without issues in the country for more than 400 years.

Earlier this year, Iceland considered a ban on circumcision. However, that bill stalled amid opposition from lawmakers and international outcry.