City Takes New Tack Regulating Ultra-Orthodox Circumcision

New York City says it has reached an agreement with members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community over a tradition known as oral suction circumcision.

Health officials have linked the practice to 17 cases of infant herpes since 2000 as a result of men performing the ritual by sucking blood from the wounds on the infants' penises. HSV-1, which while rare, can lead to serious brain damage or death.

Mohels are the people who perform circumcisions. Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration says they'll no longer be required to obtain signed consent forms before the rites. Instead, the Health Department will ask hospitals and doctors to distribute information to the ultra-Orthodox community about possible health risks associated with oral suction. If an infant is found to have herpes afterward, a rabbinical coalition will identify the mohel and he'll undergo DNA testing.

If the mohel is found to have infected the infant, he'll be banned from performing the ritual.

Oral suction circumcisions first came under scrutiny during Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, which required consent forms. The city reports that since the regulation went into effect, there were six cases in New York City, including four in 2014.  A signed consent form was provided by the mohel in only one of these six cases.