The big news this week is that the New York City Board of Health now requires parental consent before a mohel can perform metzitzah b'peh, which is a circumcision ritual in which the mohel uses his mouth to suck blood from the circumcision wound. The health board requirement comes after several baby boys were infected with herpes from the mohel. Several of the baby boys died from the disease. Unfortunately, the Jewish community is up in arms about the new requirement, putting religious freedom above informing the parents of the risk. Although, some conservative rabbis back the required consent before circumcision.
 

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, September 9, 2012

Men Do Complain: How many men do complain about their circumcision?
Men who were circumcised at birth do suffer harm, even if not all of them realize it. There are many men who wish that they had never been circumcised. It is time that male infant circumcision was studied in adult men. Infant circumcision results in physical harm. That much is proven in studies. There are studies that show that circumcised men can experience psychological harm.

SI Live: Is circumcision an expression of religious faith - or mutilation of children?
Ronald Goldman, Ph.D., executive director of the Jewish Circumcision Resource Center, writes about the circumcision controversy. He points out why male infant circumcision is harmful and should be stopped worldwide. He points out that many countries are taking a stronger stand against male infant circumcision for being a violation of the boy's human rights.

Moralogous: Don’t despair, intactivists: we have already won.
Gandhi said, “Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.”  The blogger says that truth and justice are on the side of intactivists fighting to protect babys from circumcision, and they have already won.  Not only is the intactivist struggle non-violent, they are asking for the violence against baby boys to end.  She tells everyone to keep talking about it and, in time, this year will be viewed as a watershed in turning the tide against circumcision.

Saving Our Sons: Circumcision: A son's forgiveness
Dr Momma - peaceful parenting: Circumcision: A son's forgiveness
A mother had her first son circumcised because she did no research, but only did it because. She knew better when she had her second son, who remains whole and intact. When her sons noticed that they were different, she apologized to the older, circumcised son, who promptly forgave her and he was happy that his younger brother was spared the cut.
 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Intactivist Blog: Men do mind being circumcised
Recently, a man posted a picture of himself holding a sign saying, "I never asked to be circumcised. It was wrong." He is one of a growing number of men who hate being circumcised.

Barrel of Oranges: Christianity and Circumcision
The blogger, who has a theological background, writes about what the Bible says about male circumcision. She talks about the history of circumcision and how it affected the events described in the Bible. She quotes passages from the Bible that illustrate her point that male circumcision is against Christian teachings in the Bible.
 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Saving our Sons: Painful Sex: How 8 Months of Foreskin Restoration Makes it Better!
Great article by a wife telling about her husband's path to choosing foreskin restoration to improve their sex life. She noticed the difference just months after he started tugging. He tugs for only a few hours a day using the CAT II Q foreskin restoration device. She is very happy with his results so far.

Joseph4GI: 2012 AAP Tradeshow Demonstration Planned
The WHOLE Network started a hand writing campaign to protest the recent AAP circumcision policy statement. Apparently, the hand writing campaign has the attention of the AAP because they are mimicking the hand writing, but with a different message. Intactivists are heard.

Circumcision Diaries: Let's not call Jesse Bering's penis "mutilated"
Many circumcised men are offended, and sometimes angry, when others say circumcision mutilates the penis through the amputation of the foreskin. So, instead of male genital mutilation maybe we should all just say male genital cutting. It means about the same thing, but one is less inflammatory.

Circumcision Diaries: Mayor Bloomberg: religious liberty does not simply extend to injuring others or putting children at risk
New York City mayor Bloomberg says the limit of religion freedom is when the religion hurts or harms children. He said this with respect to the Orthodox Jewish practice of oral suction after the circumcision rite. He needs to apply that same thinking to circumcision itself.
 

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Choose Intact: AAP Circumcision Policy – Flawed Ethics
The author points out conflicting statements in the recently revised American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) circumcision policy.

North County Times: AAP position paper on circumcision
A letter to the editor criticizing the recent AAP circumcision policy statement for not including information regarding the risks and complications of male infant circumcision. She points out that the AAP relies upon faulty and discredited studies advocating circumcision.

Secular Europe: Male circumcision: in defence of the child
Male infant circumcision is not only painful and poses medical risks, circumcision also results in a changed physical appearance. Every fifth circumcision results in medical complications. "Children cannot protect themselves. Thus, it is the responsibility of the community to offer protection. The prohibition of male circumcision isn’t a sign of anti-religious hostility but of a commitment to the rights of the child."
 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Parenting With Love: Q: Should I have my baby son circumcised? A. NO!
Many parents question if they should circumcise their newborn son. The simple answer is that baby boys should be left whole and intact. They are healthy and will remain that way with proper care, which for intact baby boys means wiping their penis like a finger and NEVER retracting. The male foreskin is a wonderful sensory organ that the boy will enjoy immensely when he grows up. Many men, including me, wish that they had never been circumcised.
 

Friday, September 14, 2012

Choose Intact: Odd AAP Advice on Penile Development and Care
The revised AAP circumcision policy states that parents should receive factually correct, non-biased information about circumcision before any circumcision is performed. But the policy also says that information on the care of a circumcised penis should be given to the parents after the circumcision. Parents should receive this information before the circumcision is performed so that parents have complete information before they make the circumcision decision.

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics: A Piece I Didn’t Really Want to Write On Circumcision
A bioethicist writes about male infant circumcision. He believes male infant circumcision is a questionable practice steeped in sexual hygiene paranoia. He does not understand how anyone can circumcise a baby boy and he gets a look of mortification when he learns that someone circumcised their son.
 

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Bay Area Intactivists: Intactivists receive warm welcome at Palo Alto birth fair
Bay Area Intactivists had a booth set up at the Birth and Family Fair at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, California. The educational exhibit about genital integrity was well received by the event organizers and attendees. Many learned about the value of leaving baby boys intact by avoiding infant circumcision.