New York's Board of Health usually deals with topics like
lead paint and tuberculosis, but this week is expected to draw heated arguments
on two contentious subjects: a ban on large sugary drinks and the possibility
of babies contracting herpes through a circumcision ritual.
On Monday, the 11-member panel is set to hear public
comments on a proposal to require parental consent for circumcisions practiced
by ultra-Orthodox Jews in which the mohel, or religious leader, sucks blood
from the baby's wound. Then, on Tuesday, a hearing is scheduled on Mayor
Michael Bloomberg's plan to ban the sale of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces
in restaurants, delis and cinemas.
The so-called "soda ban," which city officials
say is aimed at combating obesity, has sparked a campaign sponsored by the
American Beverage Association called "New Yorkers for Beverage
Choices." The group has flown airplane banners over Coney Island, posted
messages on movie theater marquees and spearheaded an anti-ban petition with
more than 82,000 signatures. A rally to protest the proposed ban is scheduled
for Monday morning in front of City Hall.
Chanel Caraway, a spokeswoman for the city's Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene, said that the department had received 4,200
written comments in favor and 570 against.
Critics of the proposed rule, including City Council
Members Letitia James and Melissa Mark-Viverito, said it wouldn't effectively
address the problem of obesity and would unfairly penalize small businesses
such as pizza shops and delis, while allowing convenience stores nearby to sell
the drinks. They have also questioned the power of the Board of Health to enact
such a change.
Samantha Levine, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bloomberg, said
the board is comprised of medical experts who "will consider science when
making their decision." Mr. Bloomberg appoints the board members.
As a public debate on the sugary drink ban plays out, a
quieter controversy is stirring in New York's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
At issue is an element of some circumcision ceremonies in
which the mohel uses his mouth to suck blood from the baby's penis. The city
proposes requiring parents to provide written consent for a circumcision
involving "direct oral suction."
A Department of Health study found that this practice,
called metzitzah b'peh, increases the risk of a herpes infection, which can be
fatal for infants.
From November 2000 to December 2011, 11 babies were
infected with herpes after Jewish ritual circumcisions, according to the study.
Two died.
A coalition opposing the proposed rule says the city's
study was too small-scale to be statistically significant. The city hasn't
documented a direct link between a mohel and an infected infant through DNA
fingerprinting. The group said the rule is an unwarranted government intrusion
in a religious practice.
"We are fully convinced that it presents no
danger," said Rabbi David Niederman, a spokesman for the Central
Rabbinical Congress of the USA and Canada, a group based in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn.
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