The ban — imposed on the grounds that circumcision amounted to “bodily harm” — triggered an emotional debate over the treatment of Jews and other religious minorities, a sensitive subject in a country still haunted by its Nazi past.
The outcry prompted Germany’s centre-right government and opposition parties to draw up legislation confirming the practice was legal —overruling the decision by a court in the western city of Cologne.
The new law, passed by an overwhelming majority in the Bundestag lower house, enables the operation to be carried out so long as parents are informed about the risks.
Jewish groups welcomed the move.
— Reuters
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