MEDICAL FRAUD and the criminal assault of boys

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The recent death of a baby boy in New York City has prompted some Jewish groups to call for an end to the practice of male circumcision. City investigators believe the boy died after contracting herpes from an infected mohel who sucked the blood from the baby’s circumcision wound. Two other boys circumcised by the mohel have also contracted herpes, including the dead boy’s twin brother.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) February 9, 2005 -- The recent death of a baby boy in New York City has prompted some Jewish groups to call for an end to the practice of male circumcision. City investigators believe the boy died after contracting herpes from an infected mohel who sucked the blood from the baby’s circumcision wound. Two other boys circumcised by the mohel have also contracted herpes, including the dead boy’s twin brother.

Also known as Brit Milah, circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin from the penis. Although circumcision deaths in the U.S. are rare, the ritual is facing heavy criticism as it becomes synonymous with genital mutilation.

“What happened to this innocent Jewish baby in New York is especially tragic,” said Gillian Flato, Director of Jews Against Circumcision, an international organization of Jews who have re-examined the practice and have found it to be immoral. “I think this is a wake up call for the Jewish community. Are they willing to blindly follow tradition and jeopardize their sons' lives? Circumcision does not make one Jewish. Being born to a Jewish mother makes you Jewish, or a Jewish father in the Reform tradition. Being Jewish is in your heart, not in your penis.”

Dr. Ronald Goldman, Executive Director of the Jewish Circumcision Resource Center in Boston and author of Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective, said that many Jewish parents feel pressured to circumcise their newborn sons by family members or others within the Jewish community.

“For a growing number of Jews, circumcision raises serious intellectual, emotional, and ethical conflicts. A lot of parents end up regretting their decision to have their baby boys circumcised, especially if they witness the ceremony,” said Goldman. “Those Jews that forgo circumcision are at peace with their decision. Jewish parents who are questioning circumcision have options."

One of those options is a Brit Shalom, a naming ceremony that some Jewish families practice as an alternative to traditional circumcision. Growing in popularity, it shares many of the same ceremonial aspects of the Brit Milah, but without cutting the genitals. It is similar to the naming ceremony used to celebrate the birth of Jewish girls.

Attempts to protect boys from circumcision have now crossed into the legal realm as well. While girls have been legally protected from circumcision in the U.S. since 1996, a federal bill proposal written by a San Diego group called MGMbill.org would extend that protection to boys. Matthew Hess, the group’s president, said that Jewish support for the proposed bill will be critical to its success.

“Efforts to legally protect boys from MGM (“male genital mutilation”) will be much harder without the support of Jewish leaders,” said Hess. “Many politicians fear that supporting a ban on infant male circumcision will upset their Jewish constituencies and cost them votes in the next election. But those attitudes can be changed if more Jews speak out against the practice - just as Muslim women have changed opinions on female circumcision in Africa.”

Hess himself is not Jewish, but he said that feedback and advice received from Jewish members of Congress and their staff have made him more aware of the need to encourage activism in the Jewish community at large. “Concerns about the ethics of circumcision are pervasive,” said Hess. “But transforming those concerns into action requires people to speak up.”

In response to recent studies linking male circumcision to lower HIV infection rates, health and human rights activists are warning that circumcision should not be used as a tool to combat the spread of HIV. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, a protective and highly erogenous zone of tissue that covers the penis.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) February 3, 2005 -- In response to recent studies linking male circumcision to lower HIV infection rates, health and human rights activists are warning that circumcision should not be used as a tool to combat the spread of HIV. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, a protective and highly erogenous zone of tissue that covers the penis.

“Preventive circumcision makes even less sense than preventive mastectomy,” said Matthew Hess, President of San Diego based MGMbill.org. “Preventive breast removal would actually prevent many cancers, while virtually all those exposed repeatedly to HIV will still contract the virus, circumcised or not. And despite the findings of a new study in Kenya, circumcision clearly has not been effective in controlling the spread of HIV in the United States."

MGMbill.org is a group pushing to add gender neutral language to a U.S. law that bans circumcision of girls under the age of 18. The study referenced by Hess appeared in the February 15, 2005, issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. It concluded that circumcised truck drivers in Kenya had a 0.5% chance of contracting HIV from an infected female partner, versus a 1.3% chance for intact men.

Hess also criticized a recent $5.4 million grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to study the effects of male circumcision on HIV rates in Uganda. “The Gates Foundation has done a lot of good things for Africa over the years,” said Hess. “But this ill-conceived grant is helping to promote genital mutilation of males on a continent that is receiving aid from other agencies to eliminate female genital mutilation. I think it’s very counterproductive.”

George Denniston, M.D., a retired professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said the HIV-circumcision link is weak at best. “The United States is one of the only developed nations that still routinely practices male circumcision, and yet the U.S. also has the highest rate of HIV infection among all developed countries. To suggest that circumcision should somehow be used as a tool to control HIV is highly irresponsible medicine, but that is what some of these studies seem to be doing.”

Denniston has authored several books on the harmful effects of circumcision. He is also President of Doctors Opposing Circumcision, an international group of physicians that advises against circumcision because of the damage it causes to sexual function. The group also argues that circumcision of children is a violation of professional medical ethics and basic human rights.

Brian O’Donnell, PA-C, MHS, of New Haven, Connecticut, said that research money would be better spent on ways to increase condom use, which is a proven way to prevent HIV. “Whether or not a man is circumcised, he has to wear a condom during sex to prevent the transmission of HIV from an infected partner. The most common reason men give for not wearing a condom is that it reduces sensation and pleasure. Removing the foreskin only reduces the sensation further.”

O’Donnell said he is planning to enter into a research project designed to look at how circumcision has affected condom use in the U.S. and may be contributing to the high rate of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. “This may be what’s happening in the U.S., where 70% of 18-24 year olds are circumcised and the rates of HIV are 5 times that of Europe, where less than 1% of the men are circumcised. It also could explain why the rates of STD's and unintended pregnancies in the USA are up to 74 times higher than in Europe.”

O’Donnell added that he sees less condom use among his male patients who are circumcised, and that their rate of STD diagnosis is higher than in intact men. He also warned that a false sense of security is already starting to take hold in Africa, where some people now mistakenly believe they can’t contract HIV if they are circumcised.

Jewish Groups Say it’s Time to Stop Circumcising Boys

HIV Prevention a Poor Excuse for Circumcision, Activists Say

All Press Releases for February 3, 2005
	HIV Prevention a Poor Excuse for Circumcision, Activists Say
	In response to recent studies linking male circumcision to lower HIV infection rates, health and human rights activists are warning that circumcision should not be used as a tool to combat the spread of HIV. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, a protective and highly erogenous zone of tissue that covers the penis. San Diego, CA (PRWEB) February 3, 2005 -- In response to recent studies linking male circumcision to lower HIV infection rates, health and human rights activists are warning that circumcision should not be used as a tool to combat the spread of HIV. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, a protective and highly erogenous zone of tissue that covers the penis. “Preventive circumcision makes even less sense than preventive mastectomy,” said Matthew Hess, President of San Diego based MGMbill.org. “Preventive breast removal would actually prevent many cancers, while virtually all those exposed repeatedly to HIV will still contract the virus, circumcised or not. And despite the findings of a new study in Kenya, circumcision clearly has not been effective in controlling the spread of HIV in the United States." MGMbill.org is a group pushing to add gender neutral language to a U.S. law that bans circumcision of girls under the age of 18. The study referenced by Hess appeared in the February 15, 2005, issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. It concluded that circumcised truck drivers in Kenya had a 0.5% chance of contracting HIV from an infected female partner, versus a 1.3% chance for intact men. Hess also criticized a recent $5.4 million grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to study the effects of male circumcision on HIV rates in Uganda. “The Gates Foundation has done a lot of good things for Africa over the years,” said Hess. “But this ill-conceived grant is helping to promote genital mutilation of males on a continent that is receiving aid from other agencies to eliminate female genital mutilation. I think it’s very counterproductive.” George Denniston, M.D., a retired professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said the HIV-circumcision link is weak at best. “The United States is one of the only developed nations that still routinely practices male circumcision, and yet the U.S. also has the highest rate of HIV infection among all developed countries. To suggest that circumcision should somehow be used as a tool to control HIV is highly irresponsible medicine, but that is what some of these studies seem to be doing.” Denniston has authored several books on the harmful effects of circumcision. He is also President of Doctors Opposing Circumcision, an international group of physicians that advises against circumcision because of the damage it causes to sexual function. The group also argues that circumcision of children is a violation of professional medical ethics and basic human rights. Brian O’Donnell, PA-C, MHS, of New Haven, Connecticut, said that research money would be better spent on ways to increase condom use, which is a proven way to prevent HIV. “Whether or not a man is circumcised, he has to wear a condom during sex to prevent the transmission of HIV from an infected partner. The most common reason men give for not wearing a condom is that it reduces sensation and pleasure. Removing the foreskin only reduces the sensation further.” O’Donnell said he is planning to enter into a research project designed to look at how circumcision has affected condom use in the U.S. and may be contributing to the high rate of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. “This may be what’s happening in the U.S., where 70% of 18-24 year olds are circumcised and the rates of HIV are 5 times that of Europe, where less than 1% of the men are circumcised. It also could explain why the rates of STD's and unintended pregnancies in the USA are up to 74 times higher than in Europe.” O’Donnell added that he sees less condom use among his male patients who are circumcised, and that their rate of STD diagnosis is higher than in intact men. He also warned that a false sense of security is already starting to take hold in Africa, where some people now mistakenly believe they can’t contract HIV if they are circumcised.