Say no to circumcision.  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.

A recent development is the Whole Network, which has a page on Facebook. The Whole Network is a grassroots network aimed at keeping newborns WHOLE by providing accurate information about the foreskin and the benefits of remaining intact. First there was Intact America. Now, intactivists are starting state-specific websites for keeping babies genitally intact, for example, Intact Georgia.
 

Sunday, July 25, 2010

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: Recent Events Give Focus to Genital Symposium
Recent events give a special edge to an international conference on genital cutting being held next weekend, organisers say. The 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity begins at the University of California at Berkeley on Thursday, July 29, 2010.
 

Monday, July 26, 2010

In My Own Write: The Unkindest Cut
Why cannot bloggers come up with different titles than the worn out ones? Despite the title, the blogger presents a well-thought out case against male infant circumcision and for genital integrity.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: Symposium Topics Imply AAP Should Protect Boys
An upcoming international conference on genital cutting gives weight to the case that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) should recommend against circumcising US baby boys. The 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity begins at the University of California at Berkeley on Thursday, July 29.
 

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Red and Black: Does your penis have a turtleneck?
One young man's take on being circumcised at birth. He questions why the practice of male genital cutting is accepted and female genital cutting is not. He makes a good case for stopping infant circumcision.

The deadly serious comic: Circumcision is Circumspect
Female genital mutilation is both a serious problem and an extremely heavy phrase to start an article. Every organisation that works for human rights works against it. Yet we all start from a flawed position, as we allow the same procedure to take place legally to boys. Male circumcision is less cruel, but just as wrong, both medically and morally.

Isle Dance: USA Legacy: Most Circumcized Males Equals Least Female Orgasms?
Referring to the book, Sex as Nature Intended It, the author notes the significance of lopping off part of a male's penis with respect to satisfying a woman. Having restored my foreskin, I believe it is easier to satisfy a woman with a foreskin, even a restored one.

Boy Breathing Beirut: To cut or not to cut?
A guy declares that from this moment on, he will never  judge a penis by its foreskin (or lack thereof) because all penises are created equal (maybe not equal in size, but nonetheless, equal).
 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Dr Momma - Peaceful Parenting: Without my Turtleneck
A reprint of Patrick Hooper's article Does your penis have a turtleneck?

The deadly serious comic: Circumcised again
A followup post about circumcision. The author is from the UK and writes from that point of view, where male circumcision is done primarily for religious reasons.

Informed Parenting: The cycle of abuse
With respect to the topic of infant circumcision, the direct opposite of healing is what scientists refer to as the "cycle of abuse" or sometimes the "revolving door." The abused person cannot confront his own demons and spends his life repeating the abuse that was forced upon him. Perhaps one of the most frequently uttered and yet least rational arguments for infant circumcision in America directly displays the sheer amount of healing our American males need. "I want my son to be like me."
 

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Straight.com: Circumcision a big deal to foreskin advocate Glen Callender
An article about comedian Glen Callender's upcoming presentation at the Davie Street Pride Party on Friday (July 30) and the Sunset Beach Pride Festival on Sunday (August 1) in Vancouver, Canada. He will explain the anatomy and function of the foreskin and demonstrate how to clean an uncircumcised penis. Cleanliness is often cited as a reason parents opt to circumcise their sons, but Callender says that parents should have more faith in their kids ability to self-groom.

Male Circumcision and HIV: BERKELEY: 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity
A brief report of the 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity with a picture of Georgeann Chapin of Intact America, Dr. Dean Edell of HealthCentral, and Marilyn Milos of NOCIRC.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: Circumcision Device Like BP in Gulf
A critical look at the Accu-circ circumcision device, which has some flaws.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: Intersex Surgery Not for Parents or Doctors to Decide
Paul Mason, Commissioner for Children for the Australian island state of Tasmania, said the decision to operate on an intersexed child was not one to be taken by doctors, nor by frightened parents following clinical advice, nor the dictates of culture or religion. He told the 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity that children are children first and girls and boys second.

Law.com: Atlanta Lawyer Takes on Botched Circumcision Claims Nationwide
Intactivist lawyer David J. Llewellyn recently won a judgement of $10.7 million in a botched circumcision case. The case against the manufacturer of the Mogen clamp is the latest in a long string of cases the Atlanta lawyer has fought for victims of circumcision.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: African Circumcision Experiments “Like Tuskegee”
Medical anthropologist Dr. Gisselquist compared experiments in Africa, where HIV researchers followed HIV-positive adults who did not know they were infected in order to study sickness, death, and transmission, to the infamous 40-year Tuskegee trial of black Americans infected with syphilis. “The key to stopping AIDS in Africa is to trace and investigate suspicious infections in children and adults to find their source,” he said. “When Africa’s medically-caused HIV outbreaks have been investigated and uncovered, it will be possible to have a rational discussion about circumcision in Africa.”

David Mixner: Live from Hell's Kitchen: Alan Cumming: Come To Terms With Circumcision
Award winning actor Alan Cumming has made a direct appeal to LGBT leaders to come to terms with the issue of circumcision in America. In a letter to the community, he says

• circumcision is medically unnecessary, painful, risky, and unethical;
• circumcision imposes a deeply personal and consequential decision on baby boys without their consent; and
• its status within the medical community as the default choice for newborns intimidate parents into believing they have no choice at all.
   

Friday, July 30, 2010

Public Service News: CA Experts Dispute Report That Claims Circumcision Could Halt HIV Cases
A report of the the eleventh-annual International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity, and Human Rights that is underway through Saturday in Berkeley, California, USA. Marilyn Milos, founder of the California group, National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC), questions the findings used to promote universal circumcison.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: “Concerted Effort” to Promote Circumcision
A lobby group of physicians, researchers, and others is making a concerted effort to promote neonatal circumcision world-wide, an international conference on genital cutting was told this morning. Atlanta, Georgia, attorney David Llewellyn told the 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity this morning that since the mid-1980s they have been looking for “medical” reasons to cut off baby boys’ foreskins.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity:  Don’t Foreclose Kids’ Options with Surgeries
John Geisheker, Executive Director of Doctors Opposing Circumcision, said courts pay undue deference to parental discretion—cultural and religious—at the expense of the child’s human rights. He suggests the best guiding principle is the “open future” articulated by philosopher Joel Feinberg.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity:  Hospitals Risk Legal Action Over Circumcision
Zenas Baer, a Hawley, Minnesota lawyer with extensive experience in circumcision cases involving informed consent, says our society is morally and legally committed to the principle of self-determination, which implies the right of every person of sound mind to determine what shall be done with his or her own body.

Medical Dictionary: AIDS Circumcision Fallacy
Video with Dr. Dean Edell discusses the misleading and unsound arguments in the current drive to circumcise Africa. Why do/did you have foreskin? The foreskin occupies a prominent position on an important organ. The foreskins location and structure indicates it is the most important part of the male penis.
 

Saturday, July 31, 2010

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: Circumcision Makes the Penis Smaller says Doctor
Christopher Fletcher, MD, isssistant clinical professor of family and community medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He told the 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity at the University of California, Berkeley, that men circumcised shortly after birth are almost universally unaware of their disfigurements and think of their penises as completely normal.“This obvious physical damage is universally ignored by the patient, his parents, and physicians,” he said.

Weekend Observer: Circumcision: the Unanswered Questions
An article in the Swazi Observer questioning the circumcision campaign currently underway in Africa. The author points out that the risks are great for the limited benefits. Also, many men are unaware of how circumcision will affect them sexually and that women prefer intact men over those who are circumcised by 6 to 1.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: Conference tells AAP, CDC: “Don’t cut babies”
The 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity delivered a clear message to US medical bodies not to recommend any infant genital cutting that is not strictly necessary. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control are both considering revising their currently neutral advice about neonatal circumcision in the United States.