Arizona Joins Growing Movement Against Medicaid Circumcisions

Arizona became the seventh state to eliminate Medicaid funding for infant circumcision this week, as Governor Jane Hull allowed the states budget to become law without her signature. Currently, Medicaid programs in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, North Dakota, Mississippi do not cover circumcision.

National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers P.O. Box 2512, San Anselmo, California 94979    www.nocirc.org    Tel: 415-488-9883 Fax: 415-488-9660

CONTACT:
Amber Craig, 1-919-960-9276, amberc@attglobal.net
Marilyn Milos, 1-415-488-9883, nocirc@cris.com

Arizona Joins Growing Movement Against Medicaid Circumcisions

PHOENIX -- Arizona became the seventh state to eliminate Medicaid funding for infant circumcision this week, as Governor Jane Hull allowed the states budget to become law without her signature. Currently, Medicaid programs in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, North Dakota, Mississippi, and many private HMOs serving Medicaid recipients, as well as some private insurance companies do not cover circumcision. In the past year, Arizona Medicaid paid for 12,600 boys to be circumcised at an average cost of $132 per boy and a total cost of $1.66 million.
Circumcision has grown increasingly controversial in recent years as mounting evidence indicates that any potential or slight benefits are outweighed by the surgical risks, pain, complications, and lifetime consequences of circumcision. Despite the fact that circumcision is not recommended by any national or international medical organization in the world, Medicaid pays for 25% of all US newborn circumcisions.
A 2001 report issued by the International Coalition for Genital Integrity (ICGI) documents Medicaid wastes tens of millions of dollars per year on circumcision (www.icgi.org). ICGI Co-Director Dr. Rio Cruz states, It is simply deplorable that our government uses healthcare tax dollars to subsidize a cultural procedure that causes pain, long-term harm, and violates a childs right to bodily integrity."
Lawn Griffiths of Tempe praised the Arizona decision, saying, Im relieved my state no longer pays for such intrusive, maiming surgery. I left my son intact 27 years ago, and I shouldnt have to pay to harm other little boys."
Taxpayer complaints about government funding of infant circumcisions have stimulated legislative activity nationwide. Bills have recently been introduced in Missouri, Michigan, and New Mexico to cease Medicaid funding of these procedures.

North Carolina also has infant circumcision on its list of potential budget cuts. Keith Webb and his wife, Alice, were receiving Medicaid six years ago when their first son was born. We werent provided any information, we were just asked to sign a form, and he was circumcised. We were appalled to later learn no anesthesia had been used. Our son had numerous complications that we had to deal with for two years. We had been grossly misled. If Medicaid hadnt covered circumcision, we would never have done this to our son." Taxpayers and those morally opposed to circumcision have joined together in North Carolina to protest this budget expense. A full-page open letter to the Governor and state legislature, published in the May 8th issue of widely distributed Raleigh news magazine and signed by 112 NC citizens, urged that public funds not be used for non-therapeutic circumcisions (www.cirp.org/news/ncopenletter05-08-02/).

Most states are experiencing budget deficits and increasing Medicaid costs. Grassroots efforts are escalating to eliminate tax-dollar funding of circumcision.

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Dr. Rio Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA: 1-831-423-6105, info@icgi.org
Keith and Alice Webb, Farmville, NC: 1-252-753-0077, full_time_mom@hotmail.com
Lawn Griffiths, Tempe,AZ : 1-480-894-1557, tempelawn@msn.com