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, " 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,
George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice,
George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Understanding Circumcision: A Multi-Dimensional Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Problem,
George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Flesh and Blood: Perspectives on the Problem of Circumcision in Contemporary Society,
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,
George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Circumcision and Human Rights,
George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, Marilyn Fayre Milos, eds, Genital Autonomy: Protecting Personal Choice,
