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Cologne circumcision court judgment

1,437 bytes added, 05:37, 22 February 2020
Add translation of German court ruling
The so-called '''Cologne circumcision court judgment''' means a judgment<ref>http://dejure.org/dienste/vernetzung/rechtsprechung?Gericht=LG%20K%F6ln&Datum=07.05.2012&Aktenzeichen=151%20Ns%20169/11</ref> issued by the regional court of Cologne (Germany) on May 07, 2012 in the second instance. The court considered [[circumcision]] (''Beschneidung'') a bodily injury, which will not be justified by a religious motivation and the desire of the parents and is not in the best interests of the child.The decision was taken in view of the fundamental rights provided by the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany (''Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland''). ==German Basic Law== The German Basic Law was drafted in 1948 under the oversight of the Allied Powers to serve as an interim constitution until such time as Germany was reunified. The authors of the Basic Law sought to ensure that a potential dictator would never again be able to come to power in the country, so the authors elevated human rights and human dignity to core values protected by the Basic Law. The Basic Law was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949, approved by the Allied Powers on 12 May, and went into effect on 23 May 1949. The first title of the Basic Law serves as a bill of rights. It has nineteen articles that enumerate various fundamental human rights. Article 2(2) provides:<blockquote> Every person shall have the right to life and physical integrity.</blockquote> ==The Cologne case==
Underlaying the following case: On November 4, 2010 a Muslim doctor circumcised an at the time four years old boy of Muslim parents at their request on the rules of medical art in his practice. Strong haemorrhage resulted in that the mother brought the boy on November 6, 2010, in the University Hospital of Cologne, where the bleeding could be stopped. The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' reported that the treatment after the [[circumcision]] was carried out "in general anesthesia". The boy had come for several days in a children's ward. Three dressing changes have also taken place in anesthesia. The doctor's letter also states the exposed [[penis]] surface and the [[Glans penis|glans]] were "uneven, corroded and fibrinous". The boy had been for ten days in clinical treatment over all.<ref>{{REFweb
Since subsequent cases of [[circumcision]] would be no longer protected by 'unavoidable mistake' on the basis of this judgment, the judgment attracted more attention and initiated a change of direction in the legal opinion on the subject [[MGM|Circumcision of Boys]] in Germany.
The Cologne Regional Court (''Landgericht Köln'') mainly related to earlier publications<ref>http://www.holmputzke.de/index.php/kontrovers/religioese-beschneidung</ref> of [[Holm Putzke]] on the topic and found that neither the parental authority nor the religious freedom of parents would be sufficient grounds to justify the irreversible [[circumcision]] of genitals.
<blockquote>
{{SEEALSO}}
* [[German Circumcision Act]]
* [[Human rights]]
* [[The Right To Bodily Integrity - J. Steven Svoboda]]
{{LINKS}}
* [https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/englisch_gg.pdf German Basic Law (1949) (''Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland'')]
* [https://www.lg-koeln.nrw.de/ Landgericht Köln]
* {{REFweb
|url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ilm/CircumcisionJudgmentLGCologne7May20121.pdf
|title=Judgment
|trans-title=
|language=English
|last=Aumüller
|first=Alexander
|author-link=
|publisher=Landgericht Cologne
|website=Durham University
|date=2012-05-07
|accessdate=2020-02-21
|format=PDF
|quote=
}}
* [http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/beschneidung-eine-dauerhafte-und-irreparable-veraenderung-11799975.html Circumcision: A permanent and irreversible change], FAZ 2012-06-26
* [http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/religioes-motivierte-beschneidung-von-jungen-ist-laut-gericht-strafbar-a-841084.html Cologne Regional Court: Circumcision for religious reasons is punishable], Spiegel, 2012-06-26
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