SAN DIEGO,
California - Today MGMbill.org announced that it
has drafted a California version of its federal bill
proposal that would protect boys from male genital mutilation
(MGM), commonly referred to as circumcision. The
proposed bill,
which is posted on MGMbill.org's website, would amend
the California Female Genital Mutilation Act of
1996. Like its U.S. counterpart, that law outlawed
female circumcision but gave no protection to males.
Matthew Hess,
President of San Diego based MGMbill.org, said he plans
to submit the California version of the bill to the
State Legislature in Sacramento on the same day that
he sends the federal version to Congress. "I drafted a
California version of this bill in case Congress fails
to act," said Hess. "If our national leaders choose not
to protect our boys from genital mutilation, then I am
hopeful that California will act on its own to set a
precedent for the rest of the country.
"California
has always been a progressive state, and male
circumcision rates in California have fallen to about
30% - 35% of boys, versus the current U.S. average of
about 55% - 60%," said Hess. "I think the chances of the
bill passing in California may be a little better than
in Congress because of increased awareness here of the
harm that circumcision causes."
Like the
proposed federal bill that MGMbill.org drafted two weeks
earlier, the California version would also
protect intersex individuals from genital mutilation,
and would increase the maximum imprisonment time for an
offense to 14 years (from the current California
maximum prison time of 7 years).
Hess said the
initial feedback from the public on his federal bill has
been overwhelmingly positive. "The words of support and
the personal stories that I have received through email
have been quite moving," he said. "There is a lot of
hidden pain among men who know they have lost something
very valuable as a result of circumcision, but so many
of them are afraid to speak about it in public for fear
of being ridiculed."
Male genital
mutilation, also known as circumcision, is the surgical
removal of the foreskin from the penis. In addition to
containing thousands of specialized nerve endings
capable of feeling sexual pleasure, the foreskin
protects the glans (the "head" of the penis) by keeping
it moist and covered, and aids in sexual intercourse by
providing a gliding mechanism that reduces friction and
dryness for both the male and his partner. Although its
world origins are unknown, circumcision is largely
practiced in the U.S. today for perceived
improvements to genital hygiene, for religious purposes,
and to make a boy's penis look like his father's and
like others in the community.
