Marilyn Milos
Encyclopedia
Marilyn Fayre Milos 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.
, 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 dismissed by the hospital administration for insubordination
. In the same year, she founded NOCIRC.
protects the glans
from friction
and abrasion throughout life. She also believes that circumcision of infants should be seen as a human rights issue
:
for her "unwandering commitment to righting a wrong." She received NurseWeek magazine's Nursing Excellence 2001 Patient Advocacy Award.
, "[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.
National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers
The National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers is an educational nonprofit organization headquartered in California and with centers in other countries....
(NOCIRC), a genital integrity
Genital modification and mutilation
The terms genital modification and genital mutilation can refer to permanent or temporary changes to human sex organs. Some forms of genital alteration are performed at the behest of an adult, with their informed consent. Others are performed on infants or children...
organization which opposes the genital modification of children.
Early life
Born in San MateoSan Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and professionally trained as a registered nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
, Milos started campaigning against circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
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
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
service, Milos was dismissed by the hospital administration for insubordination
Insubordination
Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying an authority. Refusing to perform an action that is unethical or illegal is not insubordination; neither is refusing to perform an action that is not within the scope of authority of the person issuing the order.Insubordination is typically a...
. In the same year, she founded NOCIRC.
Milos's view of circumcision
Milos, who opposes non-therapeutic circumcision of children, bases part of her argument on the fact that the foreskinForeskin
In male human anatomy, the foreskin is a generally retractable double-layered fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the glans penis and protects the urinary meatus when the penis is not erect...
protects the glans
Glans penis
The glans penis is the sensitive bulbous structure at the distal end of the penis. The glans penis is anatomically homologous to the clitoral glans of the female...
from friction
Friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...
and abrasion throughout life. She also believes that circumcision of infants should be seen as a human rights issue
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
:
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 AssociationCalifornia Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee , is a labor union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States. CNA/NNOC has a four-member Council of Presidents, currently including Deborah Burger, RN; Zenei Cortez, RN; DeAnn McEwen, RN; and Malinda...
for her "unwandering commitment to righting a wrong." She received NurseWeek magazine's Nursing Excellence 2001 Patient Advocacy Award.
Criticism
According to Michael and David BenatarDavid Benatar
David Benatar is professor of philosophy and head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. He is best known for his advocacy of antinatalism in his book Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence, in which he argues that coming...
, "[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.
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