PORTLAND, Ore. -- A divorced couple have gone to court to determine whether their son is to be circumcised following his father's conversion to Judaism.
The former Medford, Ore., man wants his 12-year-old son to undergo the minor surgical procedure, but the boy's mother opposes it. So far, Oregon courts have sided with the father, who has custody.
'The primary custodial parent is the one that makes the decisions about religion and education and about matters of child-rearing,' Kathy Graham, associate dean for academic affairs at Willamette University College of Law.
Other family law experts agree, but say the courts should at least make sure the surgery is in the best interests of the child....
In court papers, the father claims the boy gradually concluded that he also wanted to convert to Judaism and understood that it required circumcision.
The father also claims as the custodial parent he had a constitutional right to raise his son in his religion.
I'd go with the kid on this one (or at least grant him veto power)!
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