The 2003 Cochrane Report on HIV.

Billboard in Roanoake, Virginia

18-year-old's Circumcision Lawsuit Settled
After a 2-1/2-year legal battle, the hospital where William Stowell was circumcised and the doctor who circumcised him settled a landmark case brought against them. Stowell, now 21, filed suit 12/19/00, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of NY. The terms of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed. David Llewellyn, one of Stowell's attorneys, said, "Never again can someone say that a young man who is dissatisfied with his circumcision as an infant is being frivoulous when he objects to his mutilation and brings suit to obtain justice. This case will send a message to doctors that they run the risk of a lawsuit each time they circumcise an infant for non-therapeutic reasons, particularly when they rely on the hospital to obtain consent the day after birth. Social or cosmetic concerns provide no justification for medically non-therapeutic surgery. 2003 NOCIRC Annual Report, page 1.

New Lawsuit Filed
William Hayes, Jr., is the latest 19-year-old plaintiff to file a lawsuit against the circumciser who cut off a part of his penis when he was an infant. The lawsuit was filed June 26, 2003, in the Superior Court of Lowndes County, State of Georgia.

Six More States End Medicaid Funding of Circumcision
In the past year, Arizona, Missouri, North Carolina, Montana, Utah, and Florida, have joined California, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington in not funding non-therapeutic genital cutting of baby boys.

Settlement for Amputated Tip of Penis During Circumcision
$725,000 Settlement: Following a circumcision in June 1997, parents were notified that a section of the infant's glans was inadvertently excised. The parents were informed that a surgeon would perform microsurgery to reattach the amputated section. The doctor reportedly concluded: "I wish I could blame the clamp, but it was my fault...Ultimately, the case was settled with a structured settlement, which will yield the child in excess of $750,000. Massachusetts Lawyer's Weekly

Father Jailed for Daughter's Circumcision
An Ethiopian man was arrested in Duluth, Georgia, in April, for allegedly circumcising his 2-year-old daughter. Kahlid Adem, 27, accused of circumcising the child with scissors, was charged with cruelty to children and aggravated battery. The mother became aware of her now 4-year-old daughter's condition at a doctor's visit.

NEW BOOKS:

Secret Wounds, by Hanny Lightfoot-Klein. 2003. $15.95 plus $5 S/H for signed copy, prepaid, 10% discount for students, seniors, and orders of ten copies or more. ISBN: 1-4033-9669-X. Hanny Lightfoot-Klein, PMB 107, 4729 East Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ 85718.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Circumcision: Untold Facts on America's Most Widely Performed-and Most Unnecessary-Surgery, by Paul M. Fleiss, MD, and Frederick M. Hodges, DPhil. 2002. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-67880-5. $14.95 plus $3 S/H. NOCIRC, POB 2512, San Anselmo, CA 94979-2512

FOUR INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIA BOOKS

Books can be ordered from NOCIRC, POB 2512, San Anselmo, CA 94979-2512.

Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy. Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations, edited by George C. Denniston and Marilyn Fayre Milos. 1997. $70 plus S/H. Additional charge for international postage.

Understanding Circumcision: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Problem, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, 2001). Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Genital Integrity, University of Sydney, Australia, 2000. $54 plus S/H. Additional charge for international postage.

Flesh and Blood: Perspectives on the Problem of Circumcision in Contemporary Society, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, 2004). Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Genital Integrity, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA 2002. $75 plus S/H. Additional charge for international postage.