This page offers valuable information for critical reporting on diverse aspects of the circumcision issue.
Use this page to begin your research or to augment your interviews with those on either side of the controversy.
Each topic below contains names of appropriate spokespersons (found in a master contact list later on this page).

NOTE: Links with a right-facing blue arrow will take you off this site.

See also
AIDS: Circumcision No Guarantee
A Sydney epidemiologist has reacted forcefully to a study showing that male circumcision may play a part in preventing HIV infection. 
Circumcision and HIV infection: Review of the literature and meta-analysis   Published in 1999 in the International Journal of STDs and AIDS, this review of the combined raw data  finds that a man with a circumcised penis is at greater risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV than a man with a non-circumcised penis.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and Circumcision.
Excellent analysis by a doctor, with easy-to-read graphs.
New Report Debunks Health Benefits of Circumcision
UTIs not as common as previously thought. (Ottawa Citizen, 1998)  
[as published in Lancet, 5 December 1998 ]
New UTI research  
Published in 1997 found that most UTIs among males are not caused by the foreskin but by an underlying defect in the urinary tract.
Penile Cancer: Prevention & Risk Factors - American Cancer Society  
"The consensus among studies that have taken these other factors into account is that circumcision is not of value in preventing cancer of the penis. It is important that the issue of circumcision not distract the public's attention from avoiding known penile cancer risk factors -- having unprotected sexual relations with multiple partners (increasing the likelihood of human papillomavirus infection) and cigarette smoking."
Researchers Conclude that Circumcision Does Not Protect Men From STDs (Medical Tribune, 1997).

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
George C. Denniston, M.D.	Betty Katz-Sperlich, R.N.	Tim Hammond (NOHARMM)
Marilyn F. Milos, R.N.	Morris Sorrells, M.D.	Robert S. Van Howe, M.D.

Summary: The prepuce (foreskin) is an important  functional part of the penis. In circumcising societies, like the United States, most practicing physicians and medical students have not been taught the unique anatomy, specialized functions, normal development or proper care of the intact (non-circumcised) penis. Others are misinformed about when the foreskin should become retractable, and often disrupt penile development by forcibly retracting (or advising parents to retract) a child's foreskin, causing damage that sometimes requires circumcision.

• The Ridged Band: Specialized Sexual Tissue (English/Français)
  A site focused on anatomy, and the role of the foreskin's ridged band in sexual arousal. The information on this site is aimed at medical professionals, journalists, and the general public.
• Circumcision: Male-Effects Upon Human Sexuality (color-coded photographs illustrating male genital anatomy and functions)  Marilyn F. Milos, R.N. and Donna Macris, C.N.M. Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia 1994
• The Foreskin is Necessary (foreskin functions/harm of circumcision) Paul Fleiss, M.D. Mothering 1997
• Not a "Snip," But 15 Square Inches
• Similarities in Male & Female Genital Anatomy. (anatomical illustrations) Thomas Ritter, M.D Say No to Circumcision 1996
• Anatomy of the Penis and Mechanics of Intercourse (anatomical and physiological illustrations)
• Care of the Intact Penis (NOCIRC brochure)
• Care of the Circumcised Penis (NOCIRC brochure)
• Normal development of the prepuce and the importance of smegma
• The prepuce: specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision. John P Taylor, M.D.
  British Medical Journal 1996 (highlights: circumcision removes 50% or more of the penile skin, more than most parents envisage; the foreskin constitutes a specialized sensory component of the penis, providing a large and important platform for several nerves and nerve endings; articles on circumcision consistently fail to discuss the foreskin as a tissue worthy of preservation in its own right.)

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
George C. Denniston, M.D.	Marilyn F. Milos, R.N.	Susan Peer (Parents of Intact Sons)
Morris Sorrells, M.D.	Robert S. Van Howe, M.D.

Adult vs. Infant Circumcision: Reporting an adult man's experience of getting circumcised adds little to understanding the infant circumcision experience because:

• adult circumcision involves freely informed consent of the individual to be operated upon;
• unlike adults, infants receive inadequate or no anesthesia, and little post-operative pain management;
• sensitivity of the newly circumcised adult glans (penile head) may be temporarily increased, but will eventually diminish through a process of keratinization (callusing), whereas those circumcised as infants will have a glans that has been keratinizing (and losing sensitivity) since birth.
• some men circumcised as adults may minimize any harm or sensitivity loss from circumcision as "worth the price paid" to accommodate their own medical, social or religious motivations for the surgery.

Are Alleged Benefits Exaggerated?  See Urinary Tract Infection and Circumcision. Excellent analysis by a doctor, with easy-to-read graphs.

Benefits vs. Risks:  The 1989 American Academy of Pediatrics Circumcision Task Force describes circumcision's benefits as only potential and its risks as inherent. Reporting only the benefits and risks of circumcision is essentially unbalanced. Report the potential benefits of circumcision in contrast to the inherent benefits of the foreskin (see anatomy section this page). Report the potential risks of retaining one's foreskin in contrast to the inherent risks of circumcision (see complications section this page).

Immunization vs. Circumcision: Some circumcision advocates wrongly equate these two. They are not comparable. Immunization involves injections. Circumcision is surgery, which results in the permanent loss of a healthy, functional body part and has long-term physical, sexual and psychological consequences that have yet to be studied.  Unlike immunization, which affects children of both genders, circumcision usually targets one gender and is rooted in cultural custom, religion and social myths. See: Vaccination and Infant Circumcision are Not Comparable 

Intact vs. Uncircumcised: Intact describes individuals who are not surgically altered. 'Uncircumcised' carries a negative connotation and presumes that circumcision should have been performed. Are most of the world's women 'uncircumcised' or are they intact? Do we call people 'untonsillectomized' or 'unmastectomized'?

Laymen vs. Professionals: Doctor vs. layman is essentially unbalanced. Present opposing views from representatives of equal standing (i.e., doctor vs. doctor, layman vs. layman). For a livelier debate, interview a pro-circumcision physician and a lawyer from Attorneys for the Rights of the Child.

Religion vs. Medicine: Doctor vs. religious leader is essentially unbalanced. Consider presenting the opposing views of representatives from the same field (i.e., religious leader vs. religious leader or doctor vs. doctor).

 

See also: 1999 AAP Statement on Circumcision: Suggested Guidelines for Evaluation & Critical Reporting

Many circumcised fathers are choosing to leave their sons intact. The following page contains a contact list of men who are willing to listen to the concerns of parents, especially fathers and fathers-to-be, and to share their experiences with making this decision and answer questions about raising intact sons.  Raising Our Sons Intact

 

MEDICAL ALTERNATIVES

Summary: Potential problems from the foreskin have been greatly exaggerated.The existing medical literature, however, documents modern, safe and effective prophylaxis and treatment alternatives for these rare problems. Circumcision is virtually obsolete, or at best, a treatment of last resort. Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.) maintains a list of non-invasive interventions. (See Previous Circumcision Rationale and Modern Alternatives)

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
George C. Denniston, M.D. (D.O.C.)	Betty Katz-Sperlich, R.N.	Marilyn F. Milos, R.N.
Morris Sorrells, M.D.	Robert S. Van Howe, M.D.

 

RELIGIOUS ALTERNATIVES

Summary: Christianity does not mandate male circumcision. The Qur'an of Islam does not mention male or female circumcision. In Judaism, circumcision indicates only how observant one is, since according to Jewish law, one's Jewish identity is defined by maternal blood line. On the verge of the 21st century, there is growing awareness that religion is no longer a reasonable justification for inflicting harm on another person, especially a child. Many observant parents are choosing rituals to welcome their children into family and community without circumcision.

Christianity

• Circumcision and the Christian Parent Rosemary Romberg 1985
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons): Scriptural Advice on Circumcision
• The Holy Bible, circumcision, false prophets, and Christian parents  George Hill

Islam

• Muslims' Genitalia in the Hands of the Clergy Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh, August 1998
• Cyber Mosque: Circumcision Page (progressive Moslem perspective on male/female circumcision)
• To Mutilate in the Name of Jehovah or Allah: Legitimization of Male and Female Circumcision
  Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh Middle East Research Associates July 1994

Judaism

• Being Rational about Circumcision and Jewish Observance  Moshe Rothenberg M.E.N. 1989
• Circumcision: A Jewish Feminist Perspective  Miriam Pollack in Jewish Women Speak Out 1995
• Circumcision Choices Julia Bertschinger, C.C.E. Midwifery Today 1991
• Circumcision no longer automatic in Jewish households Grand Rapids Press May 2, 1998 
• Dr. Ron Goldman on Circumcision Baltimore Jewish Times May 23, 1997 
• Jewish - With a Difference New York Daily News May 27, 1997 
• Maverick Mohel: Moshe Rothenberg Village Voice February 1998 
• A Mother Questions Brit Milla  Nelly Karsenty Humanistic Judaism 1988
• A Non-Traditional "Circumcision" Ceremony Paula Hills Mothering 1987
• Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective Ron Goldman, Ph.D. 1998 

Support and information for Jewish parents on alternative (non-cutting) bris ceremonies:

Norm Cohen NOCIRC/Michigan P.O. Box 333 Birmingham, MI 48012 Tel 248-642-5703

Moshe Rothenberg, C.S.W. Alternative Bris Support    and Ceremonies Brooklyn, NY 718-859-0650

Ron Goldman, Ph.D. Jewish Associates of CRC P.O. Box 232 Boston, MA 02133 Tel 617-523-0088

Jewish Associates of CRC makes known to the Jewish community that a growing number of Jews either have not circumcised their son or would choose not to circumcise a future son. It is an opportunity for Jews who take this position to declare themselves and to be counted. A confidential list of Jews who contact the Circumcision Resource Center for this purpose is maintained. Learn how you can join Jewish Associates of CRC. Israeli Association Against Genital Mutilation P.O. Box 56178, Tel Aviv 61561,  Israel    Tel 972-9-8949236    E-mail: avshalom@ozemail.com.au Af-Milah - Second Thoughts on Brit Milah The Israeli Newsletter Against Circumcision  (in Hebrew) P.O. Box 207,  Rosh-Pinah 12000,  Israel   Tel 972-51-979568    E-mail: af-mila@canaan.co.il Brit Shalom Providers Brit Shalom is a non-cutting naming ceremony for newborn Jewish boys.

Other Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
Jim Bigelow, Ph.D. (Christianity)	Webmaster/Cyber Mosque (Islam)	Miriam Pollack (Judaism)
Dr. Avshalom Zoossmann-Diskin (Judaism)

Summary: Although about 80% of the world's males are genitally intact (not circumcised), male circumcisions outnumber female circumcisions six to one. The United States is the only medically-advanced nation that still circumcises the majority of its male newborns for non-religious and non-therapeutic reasons. Although the National Center for Health Statistics uses data from selected hospitals in four regions to produce an estimated U.S. neonatal circumcision rate, no records are kept of the exact number of infant circumcisions performed in U.S. hospitals. Circumcision rates are lower in countries with national health plans and higher in the U.S., where private medicine encourages many needless, yet profitable interventions.

Circumcision Rates for
Medically-Advanced Nations that have Abandoned or are Abandoning the Practice

Australia (source: Commonwealth Dept. of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services)

The current infant circumcision rate in Australia is about 10%.

Britain (source: British Dept. of Health and Social Security, cited by Wallerstein in Circumcision: An American Health Fallacy)

Infant circumcision was virtually abandoned by Britain in 1949 with the institution of the National Health Service. The current infant circumcision rate is less than one half of 1%. About 7% of British boys are circumcised before reaching adulthood because of premature diagnosis of phimosis (non-retractable foreskin), a normal condition that may not resolve until late adolescence.

Canada

The current infant circumcision rate in Canada is about 25%.

United States (source: National Center for Health Statistics)

The infant circumcision rate in the U.S. has declined from a high of about 85% in the early 1970s to just under 60% in 1985, a level at which it has since continued to hover. Regional and annual variations reflect the degree to which family pressure, tradition and social conformity influence parental decision-making to circumcise.

Visit the CIRP site for a year-to-year U.S. summary of the period  1991-1999

See also: Worldwide Statistics on Human Genital Mutilation

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
John Antonopoulos (Canada)	Marilyn F. Milos, R.N. (USA)	Robert S. Van Howe, M.D. (USA)
John P. Warren, FRCP (Britain)	George L. Williams, FRACP (Australia)

Summary: In the U.S., no records are kept of the exact number of circumcisions performed, or of the number of circumcision-related complications or deaths. Often, serious complications and deaths are settled with parents out-of-court and not known to the media. The medical community has never investigated the adverse consequences of childhood circumcision on men's health and well-being.

• Body image surveys examine men's (dis)satisfaction with circumcision 1989, 1992, 1996
• Circumcision That Didn't Heal Kills Boy NewsNet5 October 20, 1998
• Circumcised boys prone to penis problems, study shows Sex & Health March 1998
• Circumcision: Male-Effects Upon Human Sexuality (color-coded photos illustrate genital anatomy and function)  Marilyn F. Milos, R.N. and Donna Macris, C.N.M. Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia 1994
• Did Circumcision Ruin Your Sex Life? Separated at Birth Men's Health July 1998 
• Estimated U.S. Incidence of Neonatal Circumcision Complications (1940-1990)
• Estimated Worldwide Incidence of Male Circumcision Complications
• How to Identify Circumcision Damage in the Adult Male (photos)
• Long-term consequences to men from infant circumcision Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy 1997
• Male Raised as Female is Studied New York Times 1998
• Masters & Johnson's 1966 Study of Circumcision & Penile Sensitivity is Flawed
• Poll Finds Long-Term Circumcision Harm  BJU International January 1999
• The Problem of Circumcision in America The Truth Seeker 1989
• Adult Penile Circumcision: Erotosexual and Cosmetic Sequelae  Journal of Sex Research 1983
• Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma How an American Cultural Practice Affects Infants and Ultimately Us All  Ron Goldman, Ph.D. 1997 
• Complications of Circumcision British Journal of Surgery 1993
• Effect of Male Circumcision on the Sexual Enjoyment of the Female Partner  BJU International January 1999
• Gallery of Botched Circumcisions    (Very common results from "normal" circumcisions)
• Significantly Increased Complication Risks with Mass Circumcisions British Journal of Urology 1997

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
Tim Hammond (NOHARMM)	Marilyn F. Milos, R.N.	Robert S. Van Howe, M.D.

Summary: Since 1989, biennial symposia on male and female circumcision have been convened for respected
professionals to present the latest research, documentation and analysis of this worldwide problem.
The Declaration of the First International Symposium on Circumcision was adopted on March 3, 1989.
In 1996, 'circumcision' was replaced by the term sexual mutilation in the name of the symposia. Proceedings
from the Fourth International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations (Lausanne, Switzerland) were published by
Plenum Publishing Company in the Spring of 1997 as Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy.

The Fifth International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations: Medical, Ethical and Legal Considerations in Paediatric Practice 5-7 August 1998 at the University of Oxford in London.

Sixth International Symposium on Genital Integrity - Safeguarding Fundamental Human Rights in the 21st Century 7-9 December 2000 at the University of Sydney (Australia). Program now available in PDF format.

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
Marilyn F. Milos, R.N.

Summary: Male circumcisions outnumber female circumcisions six to one. Most of the male circumcisions in the world are done under the same rudimentary and unsanitary conditions as female circumcision -  except in the West, where the practice is medicalized. New concerns are being raised about the ethics of physicians performing non-therapeutic circumcision of male children at parental request. The custom likely contravenes numerous human rights treaties designed to protect fundamental human rights to physical integrity and self-determination. It survives in a constitutional gray area, which has yet to be tested in a court of law.

• Advocacy: Rhetoric or Practice Nursing B.C. 1994
• Are Baby Boys Entitled to Same Protections as Baby Girls Regarding Genital Mutilation? Zenas Baer, J.D.
• Circumcised Boys May Sue Health Law Update (Australia), 1996
• Circumcision is assault, ethicist says Montreal Gazette, 1997  
• Circumcision: Legal and Constitutional Issues The Truth Seeker 1989
• Circumcision of Healthy Boys: Criminal Assault? Journal of Law & Medicine, February 2000 
• Circumcision Opponents Use the Legal System and Legislatures New York Times January 23, 2003
• Common Denominators Between Male and Female Circumcision
• The cruel cut that ruined a man's life The Sunday Times/Sydney 1999 
• Cycle of Abuse: Faces of Circumcision (Photo montage of male genital cutting rituals)
• Deconstructing Circumcision Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 1999
• Expression of Outrage over Circumcision Philadelphia Inquirer, 1994
• How is Female Circumcision Trivialized? The Same as Male Circumcision (quotes African men/women)
• Infant Male Circumcision: Examining the Human Rights and Constitutional Issues J. Steven Svoboda, J.D.
• Looking Like Daddy? To What Extent?
• Looking Like Mommy? Labiaplasty Dilemma. 1998
• Male Circumcision is a Feminist Issue Too Melbourne Age 1994
• Prophylactic interventions on children: balancing human rights with public health Journal of Medical Ethics, February 2002
• Rethinking a Custom U.S. News & World Report, 1998
• Vaccination and Infant Circumcision are Not Comparable
• What Female Circumcision Opponents Say about Male Circumcision (Gloria Steinem, Alice Walker, et al)
• What Men's Leaders Are Saying About Infant Circumcision (Warren Farrell, Jed Diamond, et al)
• Circumcision and the Code of Ethics Human Health Care International 1996
• Circumcision Exposed: Rethinking a Medical & Cultural Tradition Billy Ray Boyd 1998 
• Circumcision: Medical or Human Rights Issue? Journal of Nurse-Midwifery 1992
• Involuntary Circumcision: The Legal Issues R.S. Van Howe, J. Steven Svoboda, James G. Dwyer and Christopher P. Price, British Journal of Urology International, Vol. 83, Suppl. 1, January 1999 
• Justifying the Unjustifiable: Rite v. Wrong Buffalo Law Review 1997 (lengthy article)  
• Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy   G. Denniston, M.D. and M. Milos, R.N. 1997 
• Similarities in Attitudes/Misconceptions:  male circumcision & female genital mutilation Hanny Lightfoot-Klein, author

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
Zenas Baer, J.D. (attorney)	George C. Denniston, M.D.	Betty Katz-Sperlich, R.N.
David Llewellyn, J.D. (attorney)	J. Steven Svoboda, J.D. (attorney)	Robert S. Van Howe, M.D.
Hanny Lightfoot­Klein (author)

Summary: Infant circumcision may be the only surgery after which the patient deliberately invests time, money and effort to ‘undo’ the effects of the physician's scalpel. Restoration is an ancient practice, first documented among Jewish men of the Hellenic period. Current interest in, and widespread use of, modern restoration methods raise serious questions about the presumed benign nature of circumcision.

• Circumcised Men Want it All Back Louanne Cole, Ph.D.,Sexologist San Francisco Examiner 1997
• Circumcision Reversal Gains in Popularity New Mexican 1996
• Celsus Decircumcision Operation (A.D. 14-37): Medical and Historical Implications  Urology 1980
• The Joy of Uncircumcising! Jim Bigelow, Ph.D. 1995 
• National Organization of Restoring Men

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
Jim Bigelow, Ph.D. (author)	R. Wayne Griffiths (NORM)	Tim Hammond (NOHARMM)

Summary: The medical consensus among medically advanced nations is that infant male circumcision should not be performed. Australian, Australasian, British and Canadian medical associations have issued circumcision position papers. See also:

• Easy Questions/Hard Answers: Circumcision in American Society reveals political reasons why it persists
• Short History of Circumcision in the Physicians' Own Words
• Why Does Infant Circumcision Persist in North America? medical journal quotes about social fears
• Chronology of the Foreskin and Circumcision (300,000,000 BCE to the present)

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
John Antonopoulos (Canada)	George C. Denniston, M.D. (USA)	Marilyn F. Milos, R.N. (USA)
Robert S. Van Howe, M.D. (USA)	John P. Warren, FRCP (Britain)	George L. Williams, FRACP (Australia)

Who

• Are physicians reluctant to refuse parental requests for non-therapeutic circumcision? What are their reasons? Are they based on past experience or conjecture?
• Is it ethical for obstetricians (specialists in female genitalia) to routinely perform genital surgery on infant males?
• Who, among physicians, is more likely to favor infant circumcision: pediatrician/obstetrician? older/younger? male/female? circumcised/intact? [Studies available. Contact Tim Hammond.]
• Bio-tissue companies culture artificial skin products from amputated newborn foreskins supplied by hospitals, and later profit from the sale of the by-product. Is it legal or ethical for parents to donate/sell their child's foreskin and for hospitals to donate/sell this tissue to corporations?  [See also Foreskins for Sale]

What

• What have practicing physicians learned, and what do today's medical students learn, about the anatomy, functions, development and proper care of the foreskin?
• What do doctors and hospitals tell parents about the functions of the foreskin?
• What does the Code of Medical Ethics say about physicians performing non-therapeutic surgery on unconsenting persons for social custom?
• What factors inhibit men from acknowledging or reporting their circumcision harm? [Contact Tim Hammond.]
• Is Circumcision Correct for Newborn Boys? Louanne Cole, Ph.D.,Sexologist San Francisco Examiner 1993

When

• When the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) declared in 1971 that there was "no valid medical indication for circumcision of the newborn" why did U.S. doctors not cease performing circumcisions (as with routine tonsillectomy)?

Where

• In which U.S. hospitals do staff solicit new parents for non-therapeutic infant circumcision? In the absence of medical need, do they solicit parents for other elective surgeries on unconsenting minors?
• Where do amputated infant foreskins end up? Are they sent -- like other amputated patient tissues -- to the laboratory for pathology analysis and/or reviewed by hospital Tissue Committees? If not, why not?
• In hospitals with Tissue Committees, physicians are scrutinized who have high rates of certain procedures. Is a physician's high rate of circumcision scrutinized?
• Where is circumcision considered media "entertainment"? For a review of how circumcision is treated in American entertainment media, visit: http://www.circumstitions.com/TVSitcoms.html

How

• How much do parents know about the functions of the foreskin before they decide about circumcision?
• Are accurate hospital records kept of the number of circumcisions performed, or of circumcision-related complications and deaths? How easy or difficult is public access to these numbers?
• How do hospitals and their attorneys hide circumcision-related complications and deaths from the media? [Contact Tim Hammond.]

Why

• Why is vaccination used by circumcision advocates to justify infant circumcision and why is it an inappropriate comparison? See Vaccination and Infant Circumcision are Not Comparable
• Why have so many nurses, interns and doctors who oppose infant circumcision either been coerced into performing it, silenced, or fired for their opposition? [Contact Marilyn Milos, R.N.]
• Why do some health insurers pay for infant circumcision when they know that it's not medically necessary? Are their justifications based on actual precedent or conjecture? [Contact Tim Hammond.]
• Why have many hospitals not complied with the AAP's 1987 policy statement calling for anesthesia during neonatal circumcision?
• Why have medical associations refused consumer group requests to investigate long-term consequences of infant circumcision on men's health and well-being? [Contact Tim Hammond.]

Also highly recommended: Easy Questions/Hard Answers: Circumcision in American Society

Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
Tim Hammond (NOHARMM)	Marilyn Milos, R.N. (NOCIRC)

Summary: Responses from NOHARMM and other genital integrity organizations to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) position statement on infant male circumcision will be posted on the Circumcision Information Resource Pages (CIRP) site. Use this CIRP link to view those responses.

Or, contact these professional organizations for a response:
Attorneys for the Rights of the Child contact: J. Steven Svoboda, J.D.	Doctors Opposing Circumcision contact: George Denniston, M.D.	Nurses for the Rights of the Child contact: Betty Katz-Sperlich, R.N.

Other Qualified Spokespeople from Contact List
John Antonopoulos (Info-Circ)	Tim Hammond (NOHARMM)	Marilyn F. Milos, R.N. (NOCIRC)

The circumcisionFactFinder places all of the most important circumcision-related issues at your fingertips. For more in-depth research, we recommend that you visit the award-winning independent website honored with a listing in the British Medical Journal and by links from Johns Hopkins and Emory Universities:
Circumcision Information Resource Pages (CIRP)

Summary: The genital integrity movement is large, diverse and international in scope. It includes those opposed to female genital mutilation and those opposed to surgery on intersexual persons. The contacts below are those primarily concerned with male genital mutilation.

Contact Person (e-mail link)	Area(s) of Expertise   and/or   Organizational Contact
John Antonopoulos       Canada/Quebec	Director Circumcision Information Resource Centre/Info-Circoncision (English/Français) Succ. Les Atriums, C.P. 32065, Montreal, QC  H2L 4Y5  CANADA Tel. 514-844-2472
Zenas Baer, J.D.       USA/Minnesota	Civil rights attorney. Challenged constitutionality of North Dakota law against female genital mutilation (lack of equal protection for male children). 331 6th Street, Hawley, MN 56549  USA    Tel. 218-483-3372
Jim Bigelow, Ph.D.       USA/California	Professor; Therapist; Clergyman; Author The Joy of Uncircumcising! (scholarly work and a how-to book of foreskin restoration methods) Director Uncircumcising Resource Center (UNCIRC) PO Box 52138, Pacific Grove, CA 93950  USA  Tel/Fax 408-375-4326
Norm Cohen       USA/Michigan	Director Michigan chapter/National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers; son of a rabbi; contact for alternative bris ceremonies P.O. Box 333, Birmingham, MI 48012  USA Tel. 248-642-5703   Fax. 248-642-9528
George C. Denniston, M.D.       USA/Washington (state)	Director Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.) 2442 N.W. Market St., Suite 42, Seattle, WA 98107  USA Tel. 360-385-1882
Ron Goldman, Ph.D.       USA/Massachusetts	Psychologist; Author Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma and Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective; Director Circumcision Resource Center (CRC) and Jewish Associates of CRC P.O. Box 232, Boston, MA 02133  USA Tel/Fax 617-523-0088
R. Wayne Griffiths       USA/California	Director National Organization of Restoring Men (NORM) (support groups for men seeking non-surgical foreskin restoration) 3205 Northwood Dr., Suite 209, Concord, CA 94520  USA Tel. 925-827-4077  Fax 925-827-4119
Tim Hammond       USA/California	Survey Coordinator Awakenings: Preliminary Poll of Circumcised Men; Director National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males (NOHARMM) (men's education & harm documentation project) P.O. Box 460795, San Francisco, CA 94146  USA Tel. 415-826-9351   Fax 415-642-3700
Betty Katz-Sperlich, R.N.       USA/New Mexico	Co-Founder Nurses for the Rights of the Child (NRC) 369 Montezuma #354, Santa Fe, NM 87501  USA   Tel. 505-989-7377
David Llewellyn, J.D.       USA/Georgia	Attorney who has successfully tried wrongful circumcision and circumcision damage lawsuits involving infants and adults throughout the U.S. 1807 Overlake Dr., S.E., Suite E, Conyers, GA 30013-1766  USA Tel. 770-918-1911
Hanny Lightfoot-Klein       USA/Arizona	Author Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey into Female Genital Circumcision in Africa (includes two chapters that discuss parallels between male/female circumcision) P.O. Box 66004, Tucson, AZ 85728  USA Tel. 520-529-2029  Fax 520-529-9411
Marilyn F. Milos, R.N.       USA/California	Executive Director National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC) (information clearinghouse) and Coordinator International Symposia on Sexual Mutilations (biennial conferences on male and female genital mutilation) P.O. Box 2512, San Anselmo, CA 94979  USA Tel. 415-488-9883    Fax 415-488-9660
Susan Peer       USA/Pennsylvania	Director, Parents of Intact Sons RR 1 Box 1324A, E. Stroudsburg, PA 18301-8103  USA Tel. 717-223-1337
Miriam Pollack       USA/California	Educator; Author Circumcision: A Jewish Feminist Perspective in Jewish Women Speak Out Tel. 415-256-9171   Fax 415-456-1096
Morris Sorrells, M.D.       USA/California	Pediatrician who no longer performs circumcisions after becoming aware of the unique anatomy, specialized functions, normal development and proper care of the intact penis. Tel. 650-322-1298
J. Steven Svoboda, J.D.       USA/California	Director, Attorneys for the Rights of the Child (ARC) 2961 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705  USA  Tel/Fax 510-595-5550
Robert S. Van Howe, M.D.       USA/Wisconsin	Pediatrician; Consultant to American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force Committee on Circumcision; Editor Circumcision: The Virtual Journal.
John P. Warren, F.R.C.P.       United Kingdom	Consultant Physician; Chairman National Organization of Restoring Men/U.K. P.O. Box 71, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0SF  U.K.   Fax 44-1279-429771
George L. Williams, F.R.A.C.P.       Australia/New South Wales	Consultant Paediatrician/Perinatologist; Director NOCIRC/Australia Woodlands Medical Centre, 1 Rosemary Row Woodlands Estate, Menai 2234   AUSTRALIA Tel. 61-2-543-0222   Fax 61-2-543-0510
Avshalom Zoossmann-Diskin       Israel	Director, Israeli Association Against Genital Mutilation P.O. Box 56178, Tel Aviv 61561  ISRAEL  Tel. 972-9-8949236
Webmaster	City of Light Cyber Mosque (progressive Moslem view of circumcision)

Top of Spokespeople List

Books            Pamphlets           Videos           Organizations and Websites

For items below with no hyperlink, contact Tim Hammond for details.

• What are the anatomy and lifelong functions of the male foreskin? See anatomy section this page.

• Which prophylaxis and treatment alternatives make circumcision, especially neonatal circumcision, virtually obsolete? See medical alternatives section this page.

• Increasing numbers of physicians and nurses are conscientiously objecting to performing or participating in
        non-therapeutic infant circumcisions.

Doctors Opposing Circumcision Contact:  George C. Denniston, M.D.

Nurses for the Rights of the Child Contact:  Betty Katz-Sperlich, R.N.

• Although the medical community has not investigated adverse consequences of infant circumcision on men's health and well-being, men's consumer's groups have done so. Explore their findings.

• Foreskin restoration gains in popularity.   See restoration topic this page.

•  Foreskins for Sale: Functional genital tissue from unconsenting children being used by U.S. corporations.

• Infant circumcision being used as a weapon between parents in custody battles.

• Jewish parents are seeking alternative (non-cutting) rituals for their sons. See religious alternatives this page.

• Health insurance companies pay for circumcision when they know that it's not medically necessary. Why?

• Known-donor insemination program with policy discouraging parents from circumcising their sons and daughters:
  Rainbow Flag Health Services

• A U.S. physician's call for Europeans to adopt universal male newborn circumcision flops (twice). Why?

• Are male and female circumcision widespread forms of child sexual abuse? Read the Journal of Psychohistory's The Universality of Incest. Article concludes with discussion of female and male circumcision customs.

• Personal accounts of tragedy:   Jacob Sweet   Ernie Ayers   Dustin Evans  "Canadian Boy"  John/Joan
  More postings to come (unfortunately).

Top of Page | Home | Updates | FAQ | Research | Education | Advocacy | Litigation | Search | Ideas | For Media | Videos | Bookstore | FactFinder
Your Rights | Attorneys for the Rights of the Child | Video Excerpt | Dads  | FGC Experts | Position Statement | Harm Form | Class Action

Last updated: 27 November, 2013
© 1998-2021 NOHARMM. All rights reserved.  Questions, or problems using this site? Webmaster