This spring, a groundbreaking circumcision lawsuit was settled in New York, although the settlement has not been made public.

William Stowell filed suit in 2000 against the hospital where he was circumcised in 1981 as a newborn, and against the physician who circumcised him, seeking $75,000 in damages.

Stowell’s case did not claim an unexpected outcome, but questioned whether a physician could legally and ethically remove normal, healthy tissue from a non-consenting minor for non-therapeutic reasons.

In 1971, the American Academy of Pediatrics found no medical justification for routine circumcision. Routine circumcision is no longer recommended, yet it still occurs and is unfair to men.

Petrina Fadel

Groton, NY