(JTA) — A Canadian review board rejected a complaint by anti-circumcision activists against a doctor who orally suctioned blood from a circumcision using a sterile pipette.
The Ontario Health Professions Appeal and Review Board said in its conclusion published Tuesday that there was no evidence supporting the complaint by anti-circumcision activists that Dr. Aaron Jesin acted out of a sexual motive in carrying out the tradition of sucking blood out of a baby’s penis wound following circumcision, the National Post reported.
The board called the complaint “a broadsided attack on the practice of circumcision.”
In haredi Orthodox communities it is common for a mohel to place his mouth directly on the wound to suction the blood from the cut, a practice that has been criticized because it can spread disease.
According to the National Post, Jesin told investigators that he is against using direct oral suction and instead uses a sterile pipette during ritual circumcisions to prevent infection.
In New York, health officials require parental consent if direct suction is performed, though the regulation has not been strictly enforced.
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