Spare me from do-gooders. Do-gooders tell you what you should do. They tell you what’s good for you. They get into your business and your life even if you don’t want them to.

San Francisco has its share of do-gooders. This bunch has gotten a weird measure put on the November ballot. The measure would ban circumcision for all San Francisco males under the age of 18.

Spare us all from do-gooders.

I am circumcised. My son is circumcised. My stepson is circumcised. My father was circumcised. My two grandfathers were circumcised. All the men in my family line were circumcised going back generations and generations and generations. If we lived in San Francisco and this measure were to pass future circumcisions would be against the law.

When my son Grant was born I wanted him to have a circumcision. Jews call it a brit Milah. It must be done on the boy’s eighth day of life. I phoned a moyel in Berkeley. A moyel performs the ritual circumcision, the removal of the foreskin from the penis. The moyel said he could not perform the circumcision as a moyel because my wife and I have a “dissenting” marriage. She is not Jewish and I am. This chagrined me but I won’t get into that here.

The moyel said he also was a pediatrician and he would perform the procedure as a doctor if a rabbi agreed to do the service. A Berkeley rabbi agreed to do it. So we had the rabbi and the moyel and Grant got his circumcision.

As you can see I was extremely motivated for my son to be circumcised. Not for health reasons, although there may be health reasons. For religious reasons and to keep my people’s tradition alive. I would not let this ancient tradition stop at my line. It would shame me.

I cannot tell others to have their sons circumcised. I wouldn’t dare. But I tell you why I did what I did. It was a matter of conscience, and my son Grant is happy and healthy and doesn’t remember the brit milah. I am happy and have no memory of the brit milah.

I wish the do-gooders would get out of my business. I can’t stand do-gooders.