Metzitzah B'peh Parts 7, 8, 9

Click on the links below to read the latest regarding the Metzitza B'peh crisis: 1010WINS: For thousands of years, rabbis performed a simple procedure to cleanse the wound during a ritual circumcision: Like outdoorsmen treating a snake bite, they sucked blood from the cut and spit it out. That age-old procedure is now the subject of a clash between religion and science in modern-day New York....... MSNBC: & KTVU: Efforts to curtail the practice have met with resistance from some Hasidic leaders, who say the act is commanded by Jewish law. They threatened protests after the city's health commissioner recommended that infants not undergo the procedure. The state guidelines will stop short of a ban but will include voluntary precautions that could reduce the chances of infection during a bris, as a ritual circumcision is called, said state Health Department spokesman Robert Kenny. Rabbis will probably be asked to inform their congregations about the risks, and parents will be advised to seek prompt care from a pediatrician if their baby develops a fever or rash. Steps will also be taken to "ensure that mohels have full knowledge of their health status" before performing the ritual, Kenny said. He declined to discuss details, saying the guidelines were still being developed. But several religious leaders have suggested that mohels be asked to rinse their mouths with alcohol, undergo regular testing for disease and refrain from doing circumcisions if they have a cold sore. The guidelines are likely to displease some doctors......