Finland – The Helsinki Court of Appeal on Wednesday dismissed charges in a case involving the circumcision of a male infant that led to medical complications requiring hospitalization. A lower court had convicted the child’s parents of incitement to assault and battery.
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The Court of Appeal struck down the lower court ruling and the fine that has been imposed on the child’s parents. Also, following the decision, they are not required to pay compensation to their son for pain and discomfort, as ordered by the District Court.
In this case, the circumcision was performed on the premises of Helsinki’s Jewish congregation in the spring of 2008 by an English rabbi who was not a licensed medical practitioner in Finland. The week-old infant was hospitalized for treatment of excessive bleeding following the procedure.
The Helsinki District Court’s verdict was that the hallmarks of assault and battery had been fulfilled since no pain relief was used during the procedure. The actions of the parents were classed as incitement as they did not carry out the procedure themselves.
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