NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ruled that New York City health officials can move forward with a new regulation requiring written parental consent for a form of circumcision that involves oral suction.
In October, a group of ultra-Orthodox rabbis sued the city in an attempt to block officials from enforcing the new regulation. They claimed the city exaggerated the danger and infringed on their religious freedom.
During the ancient ritual, the person performing the circumcision attempts to cleanse the wound by sucking blood from the cut and spitting it aside.
New York City's Health Department says the saliva contact could give the infant Herpes simplex, a virus that is harmless in adults but can be deadly in newborns.
The federal judge on Thursday said an injunction "would not serve the public interest."
