(Mar. 26, 2018) The Icelandic Parliament may vote on a bill on male circumcision later this year (114. mál, lagafrumvarp (bann við umskurði drengja), Althingi (Icelandic National Parliament) website). The proposal would ban male circumcisions on children unable to give their own consent and be punishable by up to six years’ imprisonment. (Frumvarp til laga um breytingu á almennum hegningarlögum [Proposal to Amend the Criminal Code], nr. 19/1940 (bann við umskurði drengja) [Prohibition on Circumcision of Boys].) The text would be similar to the text now in force for girls (for unofficial English translation, see General Penal Code art. 218a.)
On March 8, 2018, the Judicial Affairs and Education Committee (Allsherjar- og menntamálanefnd) discussed the proposal and decided to ask stakeholders to comment on the bill before the bill was read and voted on in the Parliament. (Umsagnabeiðnir nr. 10109 [Request for Review No. 10109].) The list of organizations asked to comment includes a number of children’s welfare organizations, such as Save the Children; Amnesty International; and health care institutions, as well as other organizations, such as Iceland University (Háskóli Íslands). Previously a group of doctors practicing in Iceland had signed a petition to have the practice of circumcision on newborns banned, arguing that circumcisions of boys without their own consent violates the Declaration of Geneva and the Helsinki declaration on a person’s right to decide for themselves and an informed agreement. (#primumnonnocere, (Feb. 2018); see also Icelandic Doctors Support Ban on Circumcision for Boys, ICELAND MONITOR (Feb. 21, 2018).) The last day to comment on the bill is March 28, 2018. (Umsagnabeiðnir nr. 10109.)
The bishop for the Catholic Church of Iceland has already sent comments against the bill and in support of the religious freedoms of Jews and Muslims to Parliament. (Davíð B. Tencer, Umsögn biskups kaþólskra á Islandi um 114. mál: Frumvarp til laga um breytingu á almennum hegningarlögum, nr. 19/1940 (bann við umskurði drengja) [Catholic Bishop Response to Icelandic Parliament on Bill No. 19/940 on Male Circumcision], Althingi website.)
Reportedly only a few children are circumcised in Iceland every year, with estimates of 21 children being circumcised between 2006 and 2017. (Egill Bjarnason, Opposition Erupts as Iceland Eyes Banning Most Circumcisions, CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Mar. 1, 2018).)
Criticism
The bill has received international attention and been criticized by representatives from both Jewish and Muslim groups living in Iceland, as well as religious groups internationally. (See Christina Caron, Bill Banning Circumcision in Iceland Alarms Religious Groups, NY TIMES (Feb. 28, 2018).) The Icelandic Church has spoken out in opposition to the bill, with reference to the religious freedom of Jews and Muslims. Read more via LOC