Doctors Opposing Circumcision

Doctors Opposing Circumcision (DOC) is an American tax-exempt, non-profit, educational, non-governmental organization (NGO), which is registered under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code. DOC is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. DOC combines expertise in medicine with expertise in law. Contributions to DOC are tax-deductible charitable contributions. DOC is a member of Child Rights Information Network. DOC claims members on six continents.
History
DOC was founded by University of Washington Medical School Professor George C. Denniston, MD, MPH, in 1995 to support genital integrity for children and to discourage the surgical genital modification for cultural practices.
Governance
Doctors Opposing Circumcision is governed by a board of directors. As of 2014, Denniston served as chairman of the board and president and John V. Geisheker served as executive director.
Litigation
DOC intervened in the Oregon case of Boldt v. Boldt, which technically was a child custody case, but actually about parental power to circumcise at will, by filing two amicus curiae educational briefs to help the court. As a result of DOC's intervention, the Oregon Supreme Court remanded the case to the trial court with instructions to determine the child's wishes regarding circumcision. DOC's intervention was cited by the court in its written opinion. The trial court determined that the child did not want to be circumcised and custody was changed from the father to the mother. This landmark case received critical comment in the medical ethics literature.

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