Health experts want ritual circumcision moved to hospitals

New contentious guideline on the procedure has attracted criticism for permitting the use of local anesthetics 

In September, the government revealed it would not ban ritual circumcision of boys in Denmark, despite much support for doing so from the medical and political spheres.

A broad spectrum of Danish parties were in favour of a ban, while several medical organisations withdrew from a work group tasked with producing a new guideline for non-medical circumcision.

That new guideline has now been completed, but one point in particular has doctors up in arms – permitting the procedure to be completed using only local anaesthetics. 

“That’s deeply problematic. Our main concern is that local anesthetics is insufficient when it comes to ensuring that the child is pain-free,” Joachim Hoffmann-Petersen, the head of Denmark’s anesthesiologist association, told DR Nyheder.

“Children have the right to experience painless operations and, to adhere to that, you must equate ritual circumcision with medical circumcision.”

The only way to do that, contended Hoffmann-Petersen, is to have the procedure take place at hospitals and under general anesthesia.

READ ALSO: Denmark refuses to ban the ritual circumcision of boys

Part of public health system?
Lars Lund, the head of the national urological association, Dansk Urologisk Selskab, echoed those sentiments, adding that performing the procedure in hospitals also reduces the chances of complications occurring. 

“We can afford to have fertility treatment, infertility treatment and sterilisations in the public health system. So we should be able to do this as well,” Lund told DR Nyheder.

While ritual circumcision does not, other penis operations do occur in public hospitals.

They also always occur under general anesthesia if the child is under 15 years of age to ensure they lie motionless and thus reduce the chance of mistakes being made.

The circumcision of girls has been banned in Denmark since the early 2000s and there is zero tolerance for it. 

It is also punishable for Danes to travel abroad to have their girls circumcised – even if it is performed in a country where it is legal.




  • Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    In recent years, the spread of cocaine has accelerated. The drug is easily accessible and not only reserved for wealthy party heads. Copenhagen Police have just arrested ten young people and charged them with reselling cocaine

  • 5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    Here are five mistakes I made that helped me understand that belonging isn’t a strategy—it’s a practice. This isn’t a story of struggle—it’s a reflection on growth, told through the lens of emotional intelligence.

  • Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Earlier this year, the Danish government changed the law on access for people from third world countries to the Danish labor market. Yet, there may still be a shortcut that goes through universities

  • Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Queen Company, a Denmark-origin flower producer with pristine sustainability credentials, is under fire for alleged labor rights violations at its Turkish operation, located in Dikili, İzmir. Workers in the large greenhouse facility have been calling decent work conditions for weeks. The Copenhagen Post gathered testimonies from the workers to better understand the situation

  • Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Beginning this month, Expat Counselling will be contributing a monthly article to The Copenhagen Post, offering guidance, tools, and reflections on the emotional and social aspects of international life in Denmark. The first column is about Strategies for emotional resilience

  • New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    Several mayors and business leaders across Denmark are not satisfied with the agreement that the government, the trade union movement and employers made last week. More internationals are needed than the agreement provides for

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system