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Brad Sherman is a Democratic congressman from Sherman Oaks. Sherman is Jewish and an ardent supporter of Jewish causes.<ref name="jewishjournalnews">{{REFnews
| last=Lowenfeld | first=Jonah | coauthors= | url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/politics/article/circumcision_fight_moves_to_california_state_legislature_20110615/ | title=Circumcision fight moves to California State Legislature | date=2011-06-15 | publisher=Tribe Media Corp., JewishJournal.com | quote= | accessdate=2011-09-17
}}</ref> In 2011, Sherman introduced the so-called "[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h2400: Religious and Parental Rights Defense Act of 2011]" (H.R. 2400) in the House of Representatives, the first pro-circumcision bill in the history of the United States of America.<ref name="shermans bill">{{REFweb
| quote= | url=http://bradsherman.house.gov/2011/06/sherman-to-introduce-bill-to-protect-male-circumcision.shtml | title=Sherman to Introduce Bill to Protect Male Circumcision | last= | first= | publisher=United States House of Representatives | work= | date=2011-06-14 | accessdate=2011-09-17
}}</ref> He also encouraged a former employee of his, California State Assemblyman [[Mike Gatto]], to introduce a similar bill in the state of California.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Lowenfeld | first=Jonah | coauthors= | url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/politics/article/circumcision_fight_moves_to_california_state_legislature_20110615/ | title=Circumcision fight moves to California State Legislature | date=2011-05-11 | publisher=Jewish Journal | quote=It was a conversation with his former boss that convinced the 36-year-old Assemblyman to join the fray over circumcision at the state level...It was a conversation with his former boss that convinced the 36-year-old Assemblyman to join the fray over circumcision at the state level... | accessdate=2011-09-28
}}</ref>
== Hypocrisy ==
The slogan on Sherman's webpage states that he's "Serving the San Fernando Valley" (of Southern California).<ref>{{REFweb
| quote= | url=http://bradsherman.house.gov/ | title=Congresman Brad Sherman | last= | first= | publisher=United States House of Representatives | work= | date=2011-06-14 | accessdate=2011-09-17
}}</ref> It should be noted that the circumcision rate is very low (below 20%) in the San Fernando Valley, and therefore Sherman is not representing his district.
{{Citation
| Title= | Text=Male circumcision carries significant medical benefits, including lower risk of sexually-transmitted diseases, certain kinds of infection, and overall improved hygiene. | Author=Sherman, B. | Source=| lang=| before=| after=| Transcription=| Translation= | ref=<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h2400: Sherman, B. (2011, June 24). ''Bill summary & status 112th congress (2011 - 2012) h.r.2400.'']</ref>
}}
{{Citation
| Title= | Text=Male circumcision is an important part of many world religions, including Judaism and Islam, and observers have safely embraced its practice for generations [...] | Author=Sherman, B. | Source=| lang=| before=| after=| Transcription=| Translation= | ref=<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h2400: Sherman, B. (2011, June 24). ''Bill summary & status 112th congress (2011 - 2012) h.r.2400.'']</ref>
}}
=== Lies ===
{{Citation
| Title= | Text=I agree with the American Academy of Pediatrics that parents should clearly have the right to freely decide whether circumcision is in the best interests of their male children... In fact, American parents have chosen circumcision for over 75 percent of male children. | Author=Sherman, B. | Source=| lang=| before=| after=| Transcription=| Translation= | ref=<ref>[http://bradsherman.house.gov/2011/06/sherman-to-introduce-bill-to-protect-male-circumcision.shtml Sherman, B. (2011, June 14). ''Sherman to introduce bill to protect male circumcision.'']</ref>
}}
|accessdate=2011-09-24
}}</ref> At AIDS 2010, Vienna, the CDC had announced that the circumcision rate dropped to 32.5% in 2009.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Rabin | first=Roni Caryn | coauthors= | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/health/research/17circ.html | title=Steep Drop Seen in Circumcisions in U.S. | date=2010-08-18 | publisher=The New York Times | quote= | accessdate=2011-09-17
}}</ref> Either Congressman Brad Sherman is out of touch with reality, or he is being willfully ignorant to the facts.
Sherman said he did not consult the text of the Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 1995 in composing the bill he will put forth in Congress.<ref name="jewishjournalnews"/> When asked about the similarities between male and female circumcision, and the 1996 ban on female circumcision, Sherman said:
{{Citation
| Title= | Text=I think people who make that analogy are so wrong that their thinking does not color my thinking [...] | Author=Brad Sherman | Source=JewishJournal| lang=| before=| after=| Transcription=| Translation= | ref=<ref>[http://www.jewishjournal.com/politics/article/circumcision_fight_moves_to_california_state_legislature_20110615/ (2011-6-15). Circumcision fight moves to california state legislature. JewishJournal]</ref>
}}
Sherman added that he:
{{Citation
| Title= | Text=would angrily denounce anyone who thought I should consider any talk of female circumcision and male circumcision in the same conversation. They are not analogous. | Author=Brad Sherman | Source=JewishJournal| lang=| before=| after=| Transcription=| Translation= | ref=<ref>[http://www.jewishjournal.com/politics/article/circumcision_fight_moves_to_california_state_legislature_20110615/ (2011-6-15). Circumcision fight moves to california state legislature. JewishJournal]</ref>
}}
Female circumcision (ritual nicking) is less harmful and less invasive than male circumcision, yet has been illegal since 1996.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Harris | first=Lynn | coauthors= | url=http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/06/02/fgm_genital_nick | title=Female genital mutilation in the U.S.: No compromise | date=2010-16-02 | publisher=The Associated Press (Salon Media Group, Inc) | quote=Have you ever seen a male circumcision? Surely if we condone that then a simple nick of the prepuce is a tiny price to pay to prevent something more extreme [...] | accessdate=2011-09-18
}}</ref> Apparently, Sherman doesn't think boys deserve the same kind of legal protection from harm that girls deserve.
===Impending Fight Over a Congressional Seat===
Initial statewide redistricting plans show Sherman's district being consolidated with Rep. Howard Berman's, D-Los Angeles district, which means an impending fight over one congressional seat.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Griffin | first=Melissa | coauthors= | url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/07/circumcision-ban-will-be-cut-short | title=San Francisco circumcision ban will be cut short | date=2011-07-26 | publisher=The Examiner | quote=Note that initial statewide redistricting plans show Sherman's district being consolidated [...] | accessdate=2011-09-28
}}</ref> Both men are Jewish, as is an important chunk of the proposed constituency. It is speculated that, in addition to his Jewish convictions, Sherman may have introduced the bill to gain popularity.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Griffin | first=Melissa | coauthors= | url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/07/circumcision-ban-will-be-cut-short | title=San Francisco circumcision ban will be cut short | date=2011-07-26 | publisher=The Examiner | quote=I think Sherman would have taken the same action regardless of the circumstances, but saving traditional circumcision certainly can’t hurt his popularity at this critical time. | accessdate=2011-09-28
}}</ref>
{{Citation
| Title= | Text=He talked to me about how important the issue [circumcision] was, and it was, quite frankly, an easy sell [...]
[...] there are a lot of Christians, too, who believe that circumcision dates back to the origins of our faith.
| Author=[[Mike Gatto]] | Source=| lang=| before=| after=| Transcription=| Translation= | ref=<ref>[http://www.jewishjournal.com/politics/article/circumcision_fight_moves_to_california_state_legislature_20110615/ (2011-6-15). Circumcision fight moves to california state legislature. JewishJournal]</ref>
}}