In that tension, the Swedish and Danish doctors are falling squarely on the side of enforcing independence, at the expense of allowing parents to mold their kids. In the absence of clear evidence that circumcision has lasting, traumatic effects, it’s hard to see that move as anything other than an imposition. It’s not only Jews and Muslims who might feel a pang of concern. All religious groups, to some extent, make demands on the free choice of their members, and all traditions, one imagines, must mold the children born into them. Circumcision is unusual only in that it leaves a physical mark.

If an ethnic tradition consistently produces healthy, well-adjusted adults who appreciate their upbringings, and if those adults are peaceful, tolerant participants in democratic society, then why should the government interfere? Why prevent children from entering into that tradition, irrational or old-fashioned as it may sometimes appear? So far, the governments of Sweden and Denmark seem unwilling to act on their medical associations’ recommendations. The backlash would be considerable.