British Medical Association Conference ignores circumcision and opposes assisted dying

Dr Antony Lempert, Chair of the Secular Medical Forum, proposed a motion to the British Medical Association (BMA) conference inCardiffthis week calling for doctors to stop performing “irreversible, clinically unnecessary surgery on the genitalia of non-consenting minors" – ritual circumcision on boys. However, the BMA chose not to allow debate on this subject.

At the same time, NORM-UK — the support group for men who feel harmed by such circumcision — held its first public UK demonstration, lobbying delegates inCardiff.

An estimated 30,000 boys are circumcised in the UKevery year, the majority of them as a result of their parents' religious faith. You can listen to a discussion about ritual circumcision on Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme here (about 45 mins in).

Also at the conference, there was a motion about Physician Assisted Dying and the Falconer Commission, set up to examine the evidence on whether it should be legalised.

There have been accusations, particularly by some religious groups opposed to assisted dying, that membership of the commission is biased towards those in favour and is not therefore impartial or representative of public opinion. This is despite research showing the majority of the public are in favour – for example, the last Social Attitudes Survey revealed that 82% of the population support it. In 2006 Lord Joffe’s Assisted Dying Bill was blocked by the (unelected) bishops in the House of Lords – not exactly an impartial, representative body. The motion was carried for the BMA to oppose the legalisation.

Finally, a motion proposed by a doctor who is a member of the Christian Medical Fellowship to reduce the abortion time limit from 24 weeks to 20 was rejected two to one. Dr Tony Calland, the chairman of the BMA ethics committee, said there was no reliable medical and scientific evidence to justify a reduction.