Divorced Couple Battles In Courts Over Son's Religious Circumcision

An AP story carried widely yesterday reports on a divorced Oregon couple who are battling in the courts over whether their 12-year old son will have a religious circumcision. After the couple divorced, the father converted to Judaism. The mother originally had custody of their son, but the boy's custody was subsequently transferred to the father. The boy then decided that he would like to follow his father's example and also convert to Judaism, knowing that circumcision would be part of the conversion. Both the trial and appellate courts have ruled that the father, as custodial parent, has the right to decide if the child will have elective surgery. The mother has appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court, arguing against the circumcision. She claims that their son really does not want to undergo the procedure, but is afraid to defy his father.