Order, Order.

We move now to a Stage 2 Vote on amendments for SB188, in the name of the 15th Scottish Government (Scottish Lib Dems, Scottish National Party, Scottish Progressives).

Members are reminded to vote For, Against, or Abstain for each amendment proposed. Attempts to 'stylise' votes by adding extra words will result in a member's vote being considered a DNV. In cases were there is a genuine mix up with another system (eg. Aye/No/Abstain) the vote will be taken as a clear expression of preference

Male Child Circumcision (Restrictions) Bill

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to abolish the practice of male child circumcision, and for connected purposes.

Section 1: Definitions

(1) In this Act, unless specified otherwise;

(2) ‘Circumcision’ refers to the practice of removing the foreskin from the penis.

(3) ‘Doctor’ refers to the appropriate medical practitioner or professional.

(4) ‘Male’ refers to the sex of the individual relevant.

(5) ‘Child’ refers to an individual under the age of eighteen years old.

(6) ‘Consenting’ or ‘Consent’ refers to the definition as established under Section 3.

Section 2: Circumstances of Circumcision

(1) Any male individual over the age of 18 years may be circumcised provided they willingly consent to the procedure and are under no duress to do so.

(2) Circumcision of a male child above the age of thirteen may only go ahead if;

(a) It is medically required

(b) The requirement and reason must be noted in the child’s medical notes.

(3) Circumcision of a male child below the age of fourteen years shall hereby be prohibited except for medical reasons.

(a) The reason must be noted in the child’s medical notes.

(4) In the event a doctor performs a circumcision on any of the individuals listed in this section without following due process may be subject to suitable punishment as considered by the employee’s place of work which may include being removed from their position

Section 3: Capacity to Consent

(1) An individual is considered consenting if they:

(a) Are over the age of thirteen years old

(b) Understand what the procedure is

(i) The doctor must ensure that adequate information is made available to the male child.

(c) Agree under no duress to undergo the procedure.

Section 4: Short Title

(1) This Act may be cited as the Male Child Circumcision (Restrictions) Act 2021

Section 5: Commencement

(1) This Act shall come into force three months after Royal Assent.

This Bill was written by the Rt. Hon. Sir Frost_Walker2017, the Viscount Felixstowe, the Lord Leiston GCMG CT MVO MSP PC, Cabinet Secretary for Education, on behalf of the 15th Scottish Government.

Opening Speech:

Presiding Officer,

This bill is a simple one. It outlaws performing circumcision on newborn babies, which - while not practiced as much here as it is across the Pond - is an unnecessary procedure that affects the child for the rest of their life.

Observant members will note that there is no outright exemption for religious reasons in this bill (excluding for a consenting child). This is deliberate. The practice of circumcising a newborn baby is done for reasons that are no longer applicable in the modern day - namely, I believe, hygiene purposes were the initial reasoning, while these days we have moved beyond that and it is a simple enough matter of keeping it clean.

That said, if the child were to consent to the procedure, as they are able to do from the age of thirteen onwards, for religious reasons, this shall remain a valid reason for circumcision. What is important is that it is a choice as decided by the child themselves who it impacts directly. Rates of circumcision in the UK as a whole are on the down, and those who are circumcised are increasingly looking more and more ‘out of place’, as it were, and can often be subjected to teasing in the way only teenage boys are capable of - I don’t need to add that this affects mental health of the child.

Indeed, many circumcised adults in the US often lament the loss of somewhere between 8000 and 20,000 nerve endings (the exact number, as best I can tell, is somewhat disputed) when it comes to intercourse or pleasuring oneself. While there are procedures to restore the foreskin, they do not return it to precisely the same level as an uncircumcised male would.

Presiding Officer, unconsenting male child circumcision is a serious issue, and I hope to tackle it with this bill. I commend it to this Parliament.

Link to Debate

Amendments As follows

A01 - Submitted by u/Muffin5136

Amend Section 2 (3) (a) and (b) to read:

a) As per Section 3

Voting on this item of Business ends with the close of Business on February 18th, at 10pm GMT.