Who Started the Circumcision Misinformation Movement in America? A Deep Dive into the Origins of Medical Deception

Who Started the Circumcision Misinformation Movement in America? A Deep Dive into the Origins of Medical Deception

Written By ✌️💚🥑🍌 AvocadoJay23 | AdvocatingAvocado 

Circumcision in the United States is not a tradition rooted in necessity but in misinformation, medical profiteering, and social engineering. Unlike most of the world, where circumcision is primarily a religious or cultural practice, America’s obsession with cutting began as a manufactured trend—a direct result of 19th-century pseudoscience, moral panic, and profit-driven medical institutions.

But who started this misinformation movement? How did America become the most circumcised non-religious country in the world? And what forces continue to uphold this outdated and unnecessary practice?

I. The 19th-Century Origins: Anti-Masturbation Hysteria

The American circumcision trend began in the late 1800s, led by misguided doctors and social reformers who claimed that removing the foreskin would prevent masturbation, disease, and moral decay.

🔹 Dr. John Harvey Kellogg: The Anti-Masturbation Crusader

One of the most notorious figures in the circumcision misinformation movement was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the same man who invented cornflakes. Kellogg was a religious zealot and eugenicist who believed that masturbation led to insanity, disease, and moral corruption.

• In his 1888 book, Plain Facts for Old and Young, Kellogg promoted circumcision as a punishment for masturbation, advocating that it should be performed without anesthesia to ensure the boy would associate touching his genitals with pain.

• He also supported infibulation for girls (sewing the labia shut) to prevent female masturbation.

• Kellogg’s influence spread through the medical community, pushing circumcision as a moral and preventative measure rather than a necessary surgery.

🔹 Dr. Lewis Sayre: The “Medical Justification” for Circumcision

Around the same time, another influential doctor, Dr. Lewis Sayre, was one of the first to push circumcision as a medical necessity. Sayre, a prominent orthopedic surgeon, falsely claimed that the foreskin caused paralysis, epilepsy, and even “nervous disorders” in boys.

• In 1870, Sayre published Case of Reflex Paralysis Caused by Congenital Phimosis and Adherent Prepuce, falsely linking foreskin to various diseases.

• His writings had no scientific basis but were widely accepted, leading hospitals to adopt circumcision as a “preventative measure.”

By the end of the 19th century, American doctors began normalizing circumcision, not because of medical necessity, but as a means of social control and moral policing.

II. The 20th Century: Medicalization & Institutionalization of Misinformation

By the early 1900s, circumcision had shifted from a religious or anti-masturbation practice into something far more insidious—a profitable medical industry.

🔹 The Rise of Eugenics & Circumcision as “Hygiene”

During the early 20th century, eugenicists (those who believed in selective breeding for a “better” human race) saw circumcision as a way to “improve” the population.

• Some doctors claimed that circumcision made boys “cleaner” and “more civilized.”

• The U.S. Army began circumcising soldiers in World War I and II, falsely claiming it prevented venereal diseases.

• This period cemented the false idea that circumcision had medical benefits, despite the lack of real evidence.

Global Comparison: Why the U.S. Stands Alone

Many Americans assume that circumcision is a universal practice, but in reality, the U.S. is an outlier.

• In Europe, Asia, and Latin America, routine circumcision is virtually nonexistent except for religious reasons.

• Countries with lower circumcision rates actually have better health outcomes than the U.S. in terms of STD prevention, hygiene, and public health.

Here’s how the U.S. compares to intact-majority countries:

Country Circumcision Rate Public Health Stance

United States ~55% (dropping) Still widely practiced due to misinformation & profit

Sweden <2% Condemned as unnecessary & harmful

Netherlands <5% Considered unethical without consent

Germany ~10% (mostly religious) No medical justification

Japan <1% No history of routine circumcision

Denmark <5% Advocates for a ban on non-consensual circumcision

The U.S. is the only developed nation where doctors still push routine circumcision as a medical procedure. Other countries recognize it as an outdated, unnecessary, and potentially harmful practice.

🔹 The 1940s-1960s: The AAP and Hospital Standardization

By the mid-20th century, American hospitals routinely circumcised newborns without parental consent.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) initially did not recommend circumcision in the 1940s but reversed course due to growing pressure from hospitals and doctors profiting from the procedure.

• Circumcision became standard hospital practice, and by the 1960s, nearly 80-90% of American boys were being circumcised—mostly because it was easier for hospitals to charge for it than to explain why it wasn’t necessary.

III. The 1970s-2000s: The Medical Excuse & The Rise of Profitable Foreskin Industry

As medical science advanced, it became clear that circumcision was unnecessary, yet the practice continued—why? Because it became a billion-dollar industry.

🔹 The “Hygiene & STD Prevention” Myth

By the 1980s and 1990s, circumcision was falsely marketed as a way to prevent infections and STDs, despite no credible evidence.

• The HIV-circumcision studies in Africa (funded by pro-circumcision groups) falsely claimed that circumcision reduced HIV transmission, but these studies were flawed, unethical, and ignored alternative safer methods like condom use.

• Circumcision advocates continued pushing the “cleaner” myth, despite the fact that most countries with low circumcision rates have better public health outcomes than the U.S.

🔹 The Foreskin Industry: Baby Genital Cutting for Profit

One of the most disturbing aspects of modern circumcision is the financial exploitation of infant foreskins.

• Biotech companies like SkinMedica and Neocutis use infant foreskins in anti-aging creams, skin grafts, and biomedical research.

• Hospitals sell harvested foreskins for thousands of dollars, making newborn circumcision a profitable market rather than a medical decision.

IV. Who Continues the Misinformation Today?

Despite overwhelming evidence that circumcision is unnecessary, the misinformation campaign continues. Who benefits from keeping Americans uninformed?

1. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – While many global health organizations (such as the Royal Dutch Medical Association) condemn circumcision, the AAP continues to downplay its harms, largely due to financial and political pressures.

2. U.S. Hospitals & Insurance Companies – Circumcision is a $2 billion industry, and hospitals profit from the procedure as an easy add-on surgery for newborns.

3. Religious & Cultural Pressure – While circumcision is often framed as a “parental choice”, many American parents are manipulated by outdated medical myths and social pressure.

4. The Biotech & Cosmetic Industry – Infant foreskins are still used in medical research and skincare, creating a hidden economy based on non-consensual genital cutting.

V. Breaking the Cycle: The Fight for Genital Autonomy

The circumcision misinformation movement thrives on ignorance, but the truth is becoming harder to suppress.

• The Genital Autonomy Movement is growing, with organizations like Intact America, Your Whole Baby, and Bloodstained Men exposing the medical lies and ethical violations behind routine circumcision.

• More parents are rejecting circumcision, and rates in the U.S. have dropped from 80% in the 1970s to around 50-55% today.

• Lawsuits against hospitals and doctors who performed non-consensual circumcisions are gaining traction.

A Call to Action: How to End the Cycle of Misinformation

The circumcision misinformation movement thrives on ignorance, but the truth is becoming harder to suppress.

🔹 What Parents Can Do

✅ Leave your child intact! The natural body does not need correction.

✅ Research alternative hygiene methods (spoiler: intact care is simple—just “rinse, don’t retract”).

✅ Join online communities like Your Whole Baby to support parents choosing autonomy.

🔹 What Activists Can Do

✅ Educate others—share this article and expose the lies behind circumcision.

✅ Support organizations like Intact America, Bloodstained Men, and Your Whole Baby.

✅ Attend protests and advocacy events to spread awareness.

🔹 What Legal Advocates Can Do

✅ Push for Genital Autonomy Laws—circumcision without consent should be a human rights violation.

✅ File lawsuits against hospitals that perform non-consensual circumcisions.

✅ Demand that insurance companies stop funding non-medical circumcision.

🔹 What Medical Professionals Can Do

✅ Tell the truth. Doctors should provide accurate, unbiased information about the foreskin’s function.

✅ Refuse to perform non-consensual circumcisions. Ethical doctors are stepping away from this harmful practice.

✅ Advocate for change within the medical system. Speak out against outdated policies that promote unnecessary surgeries.

Conclusion: Circumcision in America Was Built on Lies

The American circumcision epidemic was not based on science, but on fear, profit, and misinformation. From Kellogg’s anti-masturbation hysteria to the modern foreskin industry, circumcision has been driven by control and greed, not health or hygiene.

The best way to fight back is to educate, expose, and advocate for genital autonomy. It’s time to break the cycle and reject the lies that have deceived America for over a century.

🔹 Share This, Speak Out, and Demand Change.

No child should be permanently altered based on outdated myths or corporate profit. The truth is clear—circumcision was a lie from the start.

Resources & Further Reading:

• Intact America: www.intactamerica.org

• Your Whole Baby: www.yourwholebaby.org

• Bloodstained Men: www.bloodstainedmen.com

• “Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma” by Ronald Goldman, PhD

• “The Foreskin and Why It’s Important” – Dr. Paul Tinari



✌️💚🥑🍌 “No child should be permanently altered based on outdated myths or corporate profit.”

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📢 Want to Know the Truth?

👉 Watch Now: The Truth About Circumcision

Eric Clopper’s explosive, eye-opening presentation exposes the hidden truths about circumcision, its impact on men’s health, and the medical industry’s role in promoting it. If you care about bodily autonomy and human rights, this is a must-watch.

🔗 Sex & Circumcision: An American Love Story – Eric Clopper

🔗 https://youtu.be/FCuy163srRc?si=-I0uSf9MEV06bvY9