By Robin Hindery, Associated Press


City elections officials confirmed Wednesday that the initiative had received enough signatures to appear on the ballot, receiving more than 7,700 valid signatures from city residents.

Initiatives must receive at least 7,168 signatures to qualify.

If the measure passes, circumcision would be prohibited for boys younger than 18. The practice would become a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail. There would be no religious exemptions.


Banning circumcision would almost certainly prompt a flurry of legal challenges arguing violations of the First Amendment's guarantee of the freedom to exercise one's religious beliefs.









The initiative's backers say its progress is the biggest success story to date in a decades-old, nationwide movement by so-called "intactivists" to end circumcision of male infants in the United States. A similar effort to introduce a circumcision ban in the Massachusetts Legislature last year failed to gain traction.

"It's been kind of under the radar until now, but it was a conversation that needed to happen," Schofield said of the debate over male circumcision. "We've tapped into a spark with our measure -- something that's been going on for a long time."


But there hasn't been the same kind of push for circumcision in the U.S., in part because nearly 80 percent of American men are already circumcised, a much higher proportion than the worldwide average of 30 percent. Also, HIV spreads mainly among gay men in the U.S., and research indicates circumcision doesn't protect gay men from HIV.


The CDC doesn't have a position on the San Francisco proposal, said the spokeswoman, Elizabeth-Ann Chandler.