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Circumcision

Loose circumcision or a short foreskin?

by Uncutting on March 2, 2011

Drawing of circumcised penis showing exposed glans and an intact or uncircumcised penis showing the glans coveredSo here's my story. I’m 20 years old, and like approximately 60% of boys born in the United States the same year as me, I was circumcised. I assume this was just a regular RIC (routine infant circumcision), most likely taking place within a few hours or days of my birth. The issue of my penile intactness (or lack thereof) has never come up with my parents, not even once, so I’ve always just assumed that there were no unusual or noteworthy circumstances behind it.

Given that the topic never came up with my parents, I didn’t know what circumcision was until I was about 10, which I suppose is a pretty typical age to find that sort of thing out. I learned through a topic on the Off-Topic section of a message board I went on at the time (most people on that site were a little older than me). It was something like “What do you think of circumcision?”, but the topic creator didn’t really explain what circumcision was other than “Personally, I can’t imagine going through life without the tip of my penis.”

Naturally, I assumed this meant cutting off the head - for me, that WAS the tip of my penis. So I looked it up on whatever search engine people used before Google to find out why anyone would ever do that. Lo and behold, I learned what circumcision *actually* was. But, there was one problem. Read more . . .

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Baby Mario's circumcision done accidentally on purpose?

by Tally on September 15, 2010

South Florida hospital circumcises baby against parents wishesBaby Mario was born this summer in a South Miami, Florida, hospital. Due to complications (some type of infection), baby Mario was in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for ten days. While in the hospital, Mario's mother Vera Delgado explicitly and repeatedly told the hospital staff that she did not want her son circumcised. She refused to sign the consent form for the circumcision surgery.

Despite all this, Mario was circumcised. On the eighth day of Mario's stay in the NICU and after Vera Delgado left her son's side to go home and shower, a doctor removed baby Mario from the NICU and circumcised him. Without consent. Without the parents being present. Without consideration that the infant was in the NICU and should not have to undure the stress of circumcision surgery. Read more . . .

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The Rape of Innocence: The story of female genital mutilation in Kansas (updated)

by Tally on June 3, 2010

Book now available: The Rape of Innocence by Patricia RobinettThe Rape of Innocence: Female Genital Mutilation in the U.S.A. is a book written by a woman who had her genitals cut as a child growing up in Kansas in the United States. Many people do not know that female genital mutilation was commonly practiced in the United States up until the 1960s. Insurance paid for it until the 70s and FGM became illegal only in 1996.

Patricia Robinett desribes growing up mutilated. Female circumcision affected her childhood and continued to affect Patricia as an adult. She is now a therapist who helps others with trauma.

Her female genital mutilation made Patricia very aware of the atrocity of cutting the genitals of any child. Patricia is an avid intactivist. She fights for genital integrity of both girls and boys. Female circumcision is virtually wiped out in the United sates. Male circumcision had decreased to about 54% of newborn boys in 2006.

The winds seem to be blowing for a change in the genital mutilation culture of the United States. Unfortunately, it is a foul wind that is starting to blow. Last year the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that they were reconsidering their stance on male infant circumcision. After a public outcry, the CDC backpedaled, somewhat. Read more . . .

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A father's talk with his son about infant circumcision

by Tally on March 28, 2010

Intact versus circumcised slideshowThe following story was posted at Restoring Foreskin.org in the member-only section. The author mel gave me permission to publish his story here. He wishes to save other boys from infant circumcision so that they can grow up whole, just as they should. He does not want them to have to restore their foreskin like he has done for the past several years.

I used to be very active in the foreskin restoration forums (~11-12 years ago or so; I forget now!) when I first started out; however, as the years wore on and I gained the coverage that I wanted, I slowly drifted away as work/home life had to take precedence.

Back then my wife and I were trying to conceive our second child (first was a daughter) and we were having much trouble – it took ~1 year (and I had thought my restoration had something to do with this delay, but no… we got me “checked out”). At the time, since I was WELL AWARE of the ills of circumcision, I was relieved that our first child was a girl, as had she been a HE (back in 1993) I’m certain that we would have had him cut. Now, however, with this second child – if we were successful and if we had a boy, we would NOT do this to him. Read more . . .

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I am a circumcised man that hates his circumcision

by Tally on January 25, 2010

Unhappy about being circumcised at birth - I want my foreskin!I spend too much time surfing the 'net. And, as an intactivist, I read a lot of blogs related to circumcision. I frequently come across a comment that the person has never met a circumcised man who was unhappy with his circumcision. Hello. Now you have met one. I do not like my circumcision. I do not like being circumcised.

I was circumcised more than 50 years ago. It was something that was done to most infant boys at the time. For most of my life, I never thought about my circumcision status. My penis worked, at least, I thought it did. I know it gave me lots of pleasure. At least it did when I was younger.

I remember in my twenties when I ejaculated I could not bear to have my glans touched because it was hypersensitive at that time. As I reached my late thirties and early forties, I noticed that my glans did not have the hypersensitivity after ejaculation. As my forties flew by I noticed it became more and more difficult to ejaculate during sex. My glans was turning dry and leathery. I had much less sensitivity in my glans and penis. There was only one small spot on my corona where there was any sensitivity. The rest of my glans was less sensitive than a finger. Read more . . .

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