The big news this week is the CDC released information on the infant circumcision rate for hospitals. The CDC says that the circumcision rate for male infants born in hospitals has dropped recently. Three different data sources were examined by the CDC. See Washington Post: Circumcision rates falling, CDC says

• National Hospital Discharge Survey shows the circumcision rate fell from 62.5% in 1999 to 56.9% in 2008.
• Nationwide Inpatient Sample shows the circumcision rate fell from 63.5% in 1999 to 56.3% in 2008.
• Charge Data Master shows the circumcision rate fell from 58.4 percent in 2001 to 54.7% in 2010.

It is interesting that the CDC says nothing about their study of circumcision complication rates in which the CDC noted that the 2009 circumcision rate was 32.5%. See my August 2010 report on the CDC slide presentation showing a circumcision decrease..

Parents, protect your babies. Support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.
 

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The WHOLE Network: Expecting Moms: Trust Your Gut, Don't Make the Cut
Many mothers circumcise their sons even though their gut tells them that it is wrong or that it will unnecessarily hurt their son. Why do mothers allow their newborn babies to be brutally circumcised when there is so much information out there that tells them that infant circumcision is wrong.

HubPages: Ron Low Interview (Infant Circumcision)
Ron Low, maker of the TLC Tugger and other foreskin restoration devices, is interviewed about male infant circumcision and foreskin restoration. Ron very ably discusses why male infant circumcision is harmful and should be stopped.

Joseph4GI: California: Circumcision Medically Beneficial - BY LAW
A discussion of the California Anti-Anti-Circumcision bill AB-768. Joseph describes the history of the bill. He also discusses Assemblyman Mike Gatto who promoted the bill.
 

Monday, August 29, 2011

The Guggie Daily: A Gentle Reminder When Discussing Circumcision
Parents who circumcise because they thought it the right thing to do are not monsters. Intactivists would do well to remember the wellbeing of the parents. Speak truthfully, but with charity. Mend hearts and build friendships. This will save future baby boys from being cut at birth.

Male Circumcision and HIV: Mike Gatto, The Face of Genital Cutting in America
A California politician instigated a bill banning local communities from restricting infant circumcision. See California proposes an Anti-anti-circumcision bill. Unfortunately, the bill passed and it is now going to the Governor.

Joseph4GI:  California AB 768 Bill: Afterthought
Joseph laments that ordinary citizens have to jump through many hoops and face lawsuits and other hurdles to have a measure placed on the ballot. In this case, the politician had no trouble moving his pro-circumcision bill through the state assembly and senate.
 

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Guggie Daily: How many Babies Must Die from Circumcision?
Routine circumcision is the act of taking a healthy, living, functioning baby and performing surgery without medical indication. The baby is not sick. The baby does not have a congenital defect. But a part of the body is removed through surgery. And some of these babies die. In other words, the100-200 deaths per year are 100% preventable. Every single one of those babies should be alive today. “Nothing in life is 100% safe, but medically unnecessary circumcision is 100% preventable.”

Awesatious: Idiot’s Guide to Circumcision
A guide to male infant circumcision for those who just cannot get it. This is for the clueless. Those who cannot understand that babies born healthy do not need surgery to make them better. This post is an informative guide to the harm of male infant circumcision and it identifies many of the reasons parents should keep their babies whole and intact.

Joseph4GI:  CALIFORNIA: Democracy "Too Much of a Good Thing"
"Gatto has got some nerve. After he guts and amends Assembly Bill 768 and uses it to pass a law that decrees circumcision to be "medically beneficial" to please the ADL, one of his benefactors, he's got the gall to allege that the current democratic process has been 'hijacked by special interests.'"

Joseph4GI:  AFRICA: When Propaganda Fails, Try Bribery
A discussion of the circumcision campaign being waged in Africa. Now they are giving participants incentives to get part of their penis cut off. There is no amount of money anyone could pay me to have my foreskin removed (if I still had one, that is.)
 

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The WHOLE Network: California Politicians Make False Claims that Circumcision is Beneficial
The California Senate passed bill AB768 37-0 without debate. The bill states: "Infant circumcision has a wide array of health and affiliative benefits". This statement directly goes against what every major medical association in the world has stated about circumcision. The claim is unsubstantiated and very misleading. It is just one more example of politicians failing to fairly represent the people that elected them. Instead, they pander to the religious folk with money.
 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Foreigner: Norway Ombudsman argues minimum circumcision age
National Coalition for Men: Top Norwegian doctor wants circumcision phased out
While California Senators block citizens' efforts to protect boys, Norway's Ombudsman defends the right of boys to their own bodies. Children’s Ombudsman Reidar Hjermann believes that there should be an age restriction on circumcising boys. Norwegian law states children are able to make decisions about religion at 15, whilst 16-year-olds can decide about their health. The same should apply to genital cutting of children. After all, circumcision is major surgery that affects the sex organ of the child. He should have some say about removing part of his penis.

I was circumcised as an infant. The removal of my foreskin has impacted my sex life, particularly as I got older and felt the effects of keratinization even more. Every male should be able to decide for himself if he wants part of his penis removed. A minimum age of 16 is much better than allowing parents to arbitrarily cut the genitals of their infant sons.

The 7pm Project: The first cut
Opponents of circumcision argue that is an unnecessary mutilation of the body with no proven health benefits , and that it deprives the patient of the important protective functions of the foreskin. Further, no surgical procedure is without risk – one in every 200 circumcisions suffers complications.

The WHOLE Network: Circumcision: A Jewish Mother Has a Change of Heart
Circumcision is one of those issues that has moms flaring at the nostrils and screaming in protest regardless of how they personally feel about the issue. This mother came to realize that genital cutting is an alteration to the body that only can be made by the person with the body part to be cut. That is, the male, when he is old enough, should decide for himself if he wants part of his penis removed.

Times-Standard: Circumcision decision is only for consenting grown-ups
Genital cutting as a medical procedure, as opposed to a ritual sacrifice, got its start in the US as a Victorian fad treatment for masturbation. John Harvey Kellogg advocated male circumcision and female genital mutilation to curb self-abuse in the 19th Century. We need to move beyond those days when it was OK to damage the genitals of children. In today's world, genital cutting is only for consenting grown-ups.

NewsDze-Zimbabwe: CIRCUMCISION CALL IS MADNESS – ZIM MINISTERS
News Flash Global: Zimbabwe MPs shun circumcision call
A female deputy Prime Minister in Zimbabwe called for the male Ministers to get circumcised as an example. Male circumcision is part of the Africa circumcision campaign. Only one of the male Ministers was willing to be circumcised, although he has not yet been cut. The other Ministers recognize that they do not want to lose their foreskin.

Diana Hsieh: NoodleFood: Video: Circumcision and Religious Freedom
A discussion on circumcision and religious freedom. Restricting infant circumcision is not a violation of the US First Amendment for freedom of religion. Dr. Hsieh cogently presents the reasons why a male infant circumcision restriction would be Constitutional. She also debunks many of the myths often used to support male infant circumcision.
 

Friday, September 2, 2011

Babies, Boobs, and Blasphemy: San Francisco Bans Barbaric Practice
It is illegal to declaw cats in San Francisco. But it is legal to circumcise infant boys. HUH? We give pets better protection than we give our own children? Why weren't pet owners up in arms for the declawing ordinance be a deprivation of their pet owner's rights?

NBC Miami: Circumcision Rates Are Declining
This is a fluff article. The trend using CDC data is to leave male infants intact. In other words, the number of male infant circumcisions is decreasing. Why not lead off the article with a story about parents who left their son whole and the reasons why they would protect their son that way. Instead, the article leads off with a story about parents who had their infant son circumcised for the same tired reasons that parents have cut the genitals of their sons for the past 50 years.
 

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The WHOLE Network: Proper Care of the Intact Penis (From Baby to Teenager)
At birth, the male foreskin is fused to the head of the penis (just like the female foreskin- the clitoral hood- is normally fused to the glans of infant and young preadolescent girls). This is the body's way of protecting the genitals against urine and feces. Because it is fused shut, bacteria and other foreign particles cannot invade. It is absolutely unnecessary to forcibly retract the foreskin to clean under it, and in fact doing so will cause bleeding, scarring, and damage to the penis.

Dr James Pate, MD: Newborn male infant circumcision declining in U.S. says CDC
Dr. Pate posts information on the recent announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the rate of male infant circumcision is decreasing.