New York City Health Department Orders 2 Mohels To Stop Controversial Circumcision Method After Infections

The Forward reported this week that the New York City Health Department has prohibited two mohels from performing Jewish religious circumcisions using the direct oral suction method (metzitzah b’peh) after infant boys allegedly contracted herpes infections from the two. The Health Department refuses to name the mohels  for privacy reasons.  New York City Health Department regulations adopted in 2012 require mohels to obtain written informed consent before using the controversial method for a circumcision. (See prior posting.) Only one of the two mohels targeted by the Health Department was able to produce the consent form for the infected infant.