SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A judge in San Francisco has struck down a proposed anti-circumcision ban from the city’s November ballot.

Proponents of the ban argued that circumcision was not a medical procedure and that the ballot measure included an exception in cases where circumcision was needed for health reasons. They also compared the procedure to female circumcision, which is regulated and argued that the ballot measure would protect boys the same way.

Both Jewish and Muslim religious groups filed a suit claiming the initiative violated a state law that bars local governments from regulating health care professionals.

After hearing oral arguments, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi struck the measure off the ballot claiming the measure attempted to regulate a medical procedure.