SF judge rules circumcision off state ballot

  

SAN FRANCISCO (KABC) -- Efforts to ban circumcision in parts of California appear to be going nowhere.

First, plans for a ban in Santa Monica were abandoned last month.

Thursday, a San Francisco judge has ruled a ballot measure there for a circumcision ban must be taken off the ballot. The judge ruled the measure violates California law that makes regulating medical procedures a function of the state, not cities.

The citizens' initiative, which qualified for the ballot in May, would have made the practice a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail. The measure did not offer exemptions for religious rituals such as the Jewish bris or Muslim khitan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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