NCFM PR Director Steven Svoboda, Esq. is Founder and President of Attorneys for the Rights of the child, a leading anti-circumcision organization.
In fact, Steven received a human rights award by the cause’s first major organization, the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Center, founded in 1986.
The National Coalition For Men (NCFM) as America’s oldest men rights organization has been a staunch advocate for banning circumcision for boys. Recently NCFM supported anti circumcision legislation in Massachusetts.
Mathew Hess is another anti-circumcision national leader who was instrumental in advancing the Massachusetts legislation. His organization mgmbill.org is a major player in the movement. Mathew caused an international anti-sematic scare with his comic character Monster Mohel, an evil Jewish Rabbi determined to circumcise little baby Click over the objections of his mother and cape crusader Super Foreskin.
Circumcision Debated
In response to “Anti-circumcision advocate’s comic book draws controversy” (June 8): The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization have shown that circumcised men are less likely to develop AIDS, cancer of the penis and infections of the urinary tract. Circumcised men are also less likely to transmit to their partners the viruses that lead to cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and herpes — Bernadette Malone, University City.
Opposing male circumcision is no more anti-Semitic than opposing female circumcision is anti-Boki tribe. Cutting a boy’s prepuce is gynecologically equivalent to cutting a girl’s clitoral hood. The child can’t consent.
Circumcision removes the most sensitive part of the penis that has thousands of nerve endings. That’s one reason the Royal Dutch Medical Association declared infant male circumcision a human rights violation, and both the British Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Australian College of Physicians denounced infant male circumcision as an unnecessary procedure. — Marc E. Angelucci, vice president, National Coalition For Men, Glendale
Marc is quicker on the keyboard than I. I would have sent something like this:
Monster Mohel Vanquishes Foreskin Man
Though well intentioned, blond superhero “Foreskin Man” battling arch villain “Monster Mohel” is perceived as disrespectful and offensive by some involved in the running debate about circumcising young boys. The movement includes Muslims and Jews (who each traditionally circumcise their boys), Christians and atheists, women, and circumcised and uncircumcised men, linked only by their desire to stop this horrific practice.
According to Fox News, Monster Mohel caused activist Jena Troutman to withdraw her Santa Monica proposal to make circumcising a child under the age of 18 punishable by a $1,000 fine or a year in jail. Activists in San Francisco submitted 12,000 signatures to put a similar measure on the ballot for an upcoming election. Monster Mohel may not have done them any favors either, though it’s to earlier to tell.
Major health organizations agree there are few nonreligious reasons to circumcise young boys. The Union Tribune in Peter Rowe’s article, “Is anti-circumcision comic anti-Semitic” reported that even a San Diego pediatrician qualified to perform the Jewish rite of circumcision, Martin Gilboa, said, “If parents ask me personally, I tell them this is not a medically necessary procedure. But it’s their choice.”
If after the age of majority a man chooses to be circumcised so be it, that’s his right. However, NCFM believes that right should not be denied a man because his parents chose to remove his foreskin before he can choose for himself. Pro circumcision advocates argue that banning circumcision on boys under the age of 18 violates the constitutional rights of parents. How about the human rights of boys?
With all due respect to religious freedom, remove religion and non evidence based reasons for male circumcision and you have a ghastly form of genital mutilation known as “child abuse”.
In America all forms of genital cutting for females under the age of majority is illegal except for medical necessity. Not true for boys. Botched circumcisions are common having horrendous life altering consequences, including complete loss of one’s penis.
Roughly 200 boys die each year from circumcisions just in the America. Thousands more are seriously injured, have debilitating complications, and are disfigured. Pictures of botched and infected mutilations should be enough to turn any stomach toward banning circumcision on underage boys.
In fact, intact adult women can choose from a myriad of genital surgical operations to increase sexual pleasure. Circumcised men can opt for genital reconstruction for a number of reasons as well, including foreskin reconstruction to increase sexual pleasure for both themselves and their partners. Men, however, may so choose because they were circumcised as boys without their consent, which is a significant difference.
Issues surrounding male circumcision are contentious enough without alienating potential anti-circumcision supporters by disrespecting the religious beliefs of those involved. Monster Mohel deflated the work of anti-circumcision activist of Jena Troutman, perhaps those in San Francisco, and untold others.
It appears cape-crusader Foreskin Man was outsmarted by villain Monster Mohel; that is, if damage is done to the anti-circumcision movement? On the other hand, Super Foreskin saved little Click from being circumcised, a fate that could have been death. It’s a matter of perception really — ancient ritual butts heads with civilized reality, either way it’s a bloody mess.
Harry Crouch, President, National Coalition For Men.
Mathew and Steven told me they have been a little busy the last two days fielding comments and criticisms re Monster Mohel. Stay tuned. There are more villains out there for Super Foreskin to battle.
This was Harry's response. Mine was a letter to the editor that was shorter.