Regarding the Dec. 29 Metro article “Ancient rite in question for some parents”:

Circumcision is a religious rite from the Dark Ages that has no place in an enlightened world. Trying to justify it with contemporary medical opinion is akin to justifying the burqas of Taliban women by claiming that they reduce the rate of skin cancer (which they probably do).

Performing such a brutal act on a child who has no way to object to it, just to satisfy the parents’ religious beliefs, should be considered child abuse and should not be covered by health insurance.

Fred Ise, Ellicott City