Circumcision of American boys has dropped dramatically since the 1960s, when the overwhelming majority got cut before leaving the hospital. Both sides in this fight cite competing studies as evidence that circumcision prevents deadly diseases, like HIV and penile cancer, or that it’s an unjustified modification that brings only pain and decreased sexual enjoyment.

Across Jewish culture, customs vary greatly—but not regarding circumcision. The ritual, which forms the covenant between infant Jewish boys and God, is essentially the same everywhere: Eight days after the boy is born, his father or a mohel slices away his foreskin in a ceremony typically accompanied by a white pillow and a few uncomfortable onlookers.

This custom is as old as Judaism itself. Commanded by God to a 99-year-old Abraham, circumcision was to signify fidelity to the Lord. It has been a central part of Jewish tradition ever since, so much so that even Yom Kippur—the holiest of holidays—doesn’t delay the circumcision of an infant.

But the practice has its critics. Judaism’s small but vocal anti-circumcision movement insists that pain and bodily modification aren’t necessary for forming a child’s covenant with God.

Outside of Judaism, the anti-circumcision movement began as a loose union of “intactivists” in 1960s and ’70s San Francisco. It has since coalesced into groups like the National Organization for the Restoration of Men—and they are now looking for some legislative leverage.

A San Diego-based group known as MGM Bill is pushing for state and federal laws banning male circumcision. The acronym stands for Male Genital Mutilation, and the group argues that men deserve the same protection afforded to women by the federal Female Genital Mutilation Act.

Given the significant biological differences between the two procedures, the comparison
is misguided, at best. But the bill found enough support in San Francisco to qualify for the November ballot, and it may appear on the ballot in Santa Monica, Calif., as well.

The San Francisco ballot initiative would ban circumcision of minors, in whole or part, unless there existed a “clear, compelling, and immediate medical need,” such as infection of the foreskin. Each violation would be punishable by up to one-year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“Quite frankly, I find it absurd and insulting,” David Lehrer, a Los Angeles Jewish leader, told the L.A. Times. “It takes the notion of the Mommy State to a ridiculous extreme. It probably touches upon being anti-Semitic.”

Mr. Greenberg is the creator of TheGodBlog.org
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