UPDATE::NYC Board of Health move to end controversial circumcision rule - Newsday

A Bloomberg-era consent form required for a controversial circumcision ritual used in some ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities is on its way out as New York City officials look to other means of educating parents about the health risks.

The Board of Health agreed Wednesday to open to public discussion its proposal to rescind the rule.

The form calls for parents to acknowledge knowing the risk of contracting herpes in the ritual known as metzitzah b'peh, a bris ceremony in which a religious officiant -- known as a mohel -- orally removes blood from the incision.
 
The form, approved in 2012 under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has met fierce resistance in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and proved difficult to enforce. Since the rule took effect, there have been six recorded cases of neonatal herpes linked to metzitzah b'peh, health officials said.

"The Bloomberg administration pursued a strategy that resulted in a huge amount of uproar," the Health commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett, told reporters. "I don't think that that was the intent . . . but the fact is that it's really hard to convey educational information when you've polarized a community."

A board vote on the repeal is set for September.

NYC Board of Health move to end controversial circumcision rule - Newsday