BERLIN (December 12, 2012)--German lawmakers have approved a bill to keep male infant circumcision legal after a regional court ruled earlier this year that the practice amounts to bodily harm.

The government proposed the law in response to heavy criticism of the Cologne court ruling by Jewish and Muslim groups.

Jews in particular consider male infant circumcision an ancient and essential part of their religious tradition.

The new law, passed with 434 to 100 votes, grants parents the right to authorize the circumcision of their sons by trained practitioners.

Once the boy reaches six months of age a doctor must perform the procedure.

A cross-party minority in Parliament had proposed that parents should have to wait until their son is 14 so he can give informed consent for the procedure.