Of All Places - San Francisco Bans A Ritual

A ban on circumcision could end up on San Francisco's November ballot

A voter in the city says he will submit more than 12,000 valid signatures to the elections office today. That's more than the 7,200 needed to get the measure on the ballot.  The proposed new law would make it a misdemeanor to circumcise a person before they are 18-years-old.

"We don't come at this from a religious angle," Lloyd Schofield told the San Francisco Examiner.

"We feel this is a very harmful thing. Parents are guardians. They are not owners of children. It's a felony to tattoo a child."

The Department of Elections has 30-days to review the signatures and determine if the measure qualifies for the November ballot.  Schofield has been pushing for the ban for the past six months and he has spent $9,000 to collect enough signatures.  He has also supported a national campaign to ban circumcision. But while Schofield has found his supporters, religious groups have decried the threat of a ban has a violation of their religious freedom.