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Marilyn Milos

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Nationality
  
American

Name
  
Marilyn Milos

Organizations founded
  
NOCIRC



Born
  
March 22, 1940 (age 84) (
1940-03-22
)
San Mateo, California

Occupation
  
Former registered nurse

Known for
  
Founding and directing the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers

Marilyn milos nocirc


Marilyn Fayre Milos (born March 22, 1940) is the founder and director of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC), a genital integrity organization which opposes the genital modification of children.

Contents

Early life

Born in San Mateo, California, and professionally trained as a registered nurse, Milos started campaigning against circumcision with nurses and parents in 1979. The spark for her activism was an experience at a newborn nursery, where she had been instructed to attend a circumcision of an infant boy. In 1985, when she was working as a nurse on an obstetrical service, Milos was forced to resign by the hospital administration for discussing circumcision with patients. In the same year, she founded NOCIRC.

Opposition to circumcision

Milos, who opposes non-therapeutic circumcision of children, bases part of her argument on the fact that the foreskin protects the glans from friction and abrasion throughout life. She also believes that circumcision of infants should be seen as a human rights issue:

Only by denying the existence of excruciating pain, perinatal encoding of the brain with violence, interruption of maternal-infant bonding, betrayal of infant trust, the risks and effects of permanently altering normal genitalia, the right of human beings to sexually intact and functional bodies, and the right to individual religious freedoms can human beings continue this practice.

Awards and recognition

In 1990, Milos was honored by the California Nurses Association for her "unwavering commitment to righting a wrong." She received NurseWeek magazine's Nursing Excellence 2001 Patient Advocacy Award.

Criticism

According to Michael and David Benatar, "[Milos's] argument begs the question. It assumes that circumcision disfigures and injures. Yet this is exactly what is in dispute in debates about whether circumcision constitutes mutilation." Louis J. Kern feels her view of sexual matters is "angry, confrontational, emotionally exploitative, and sensationalist." Bernhard Ohanian, writing in 1986, claims that "Jews are quick to see undertones of anti-Semitism" in Milos's arguments. Conversely, Jews have also critiqued the practice.

Publications

Milos is the co-editor of the following books:

  • George C. Denniston, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy (New York: Plenum Press, 1997), ISBN 0-306-45589-7
  • George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice (New York: Kluwer Academic / Plenum, 1999), ISBN 0-306-46131-5
  • George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Understanding Circumcision: A Multi-Dimensional Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Problem (New York: Kluwer Academic / Plenum, 2001), ISBN 0-306-46701-1
  • George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Flesh and Blood: Perspectives on the Problem of Circumcision in Contemporary Society (New York: Kluwer Academic / Plenum, 2004), ISBN 0-306-48333-5
  • George C. Denniston, Pia Grassivaro Gallo, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, Franco Viviani, eds., Bodily Integrity and the Politics of Circumcision: Culture, Controversy, and Change (New York: Springer Science, 2006), ISBN 978-1-4020-4915-6
  • George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Circumcision and Human Rights (New York: Springer Science: 2009), ISBN 978-1-4020-9166-7
  • George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Genital Autonomy: Protecting Personal Choice (New York: Springer Science, 2010), ISBN 978-90-481-9445-2

    • References

    Marilyn Milos Wikipedia
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