In my lectures on the (lack of/poor) empirical evidence for and ethics of non therapeutic infant circumcision, I include MBP when I discuss religious/cultural considerations. I don’t try to interpret everyone’s holy book so instead I have the class play “legal or not” where we go through several practices from other cultures like scarification, the dunking of infants in hot water, foot binding, female genital cutting, neck rings, etc, and MBP.

Students are universally disgusted and horrified MBP is practiced and even more so that it is legal in the US. I’ve even had several Jewish students shocked to learn about it.

A common question/comment is…

In any other context, in any other religion (Catholicism for example), an adult putting their mouth on the genitals of a minor or otherwise fondling (or cutting) them is sexual assault and molestation, it is illegal, and the perpetrator is a pedophile. Why does Judaism get a pass?

I end the section with:

At what age does the right to religious freedom begin?

Does (or should) religious freedom have limits?

At a certain point, should children be protected FROM religion?