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, May 15, 2011

HuffPost Health: Circumcision Pros And Cons: 'Intactivists' Take On Traditional Ritual
In the U.S. there are several intactivist groups, but the most visible is Intact America, a non-profit founded in 2008. On its website the group claims to stand in opposition to "medically unnecessary genital alteration, whether carried out for cultural conformity or profit, in medical or non-medical settings." "The rest of the world doesn't do this for medical reasons." said Georganne Chapin, executive director of Intact America. "Countries that have better health status and spend far less on healthcare would no more line up their baby boys and cut off their foreskins than they would poke out their eyes."

normblog: Male circumcision and Jewish identity
A Jewish man speaks out against male infant circumcision. The right of infant circumcision violates the rights of a non-consenting person.

Greenfoley: Circumcision - "It's not cleaner"
One of the most common reasons given for circumcising or supporting circumcision is "It's cleaner". This is like admitting that you intend to not teach your son to wash his penis. Caring for an intact penis is much easier than caring for a circumcised penis when the boy is an infant. When the boy is older, "TRY to get a young boy to ignore his penis, especially in the shower."

no circumcision: My Bro Is Luckier Than Your Bro!!!
A video from CanadianGirlsTalk is featured. Susie and Richanda got a comment from a female who told them about her circumcised 9 year old brother and Richanda has an intact 9 year old brother. They debate who is the luckier boy. If course the luckier boy is the one with the foreskin, who was left intact and whole.

Male Orgasm And Ejaculation: AIDS Circumcision Fallacy
Dr. Dean Edell, a Jewish doctor, discusses the misleading and unsound arguments in the current drive to circumcise Africa. He describes how the foreskin occupies a prominent position on an important organ. The foreskins location and structure indicate that it is the most important sensory tissue of the penis. Condoms prevent HIV, circumcision does not prevent HIV.
 

Monday, May 16, 2011

NewsTime: Who’s Your Daddy: Whose penis is it anyway?
A man who had an adult circumcision advocates against circumcising infant boys. "If you are religious and you believe you have to do this terrible thing to yourself, go ahead and do it. But let it be your choice!" A newborn boy has no clue what religion he is. He has no idea why all of a sudden he is experiencing pain and discomfort after being circumcised.

FOX8.com: Parenting: Circumcision
"Have you scarred your child for life? Some groups believe that many babies are getting unnecessary surgery just days after birth." A television report on male infant circumcision.

Intactivists: One Baby's Experience
A picture slide series depicting a routine circumcision of a newborn infant within a typical hospital nursery setting. The pictures were originally published in the December 1981 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. The pictures graphically show what the baby goes through during a circumcision. Even though the pictures are 30 years old, the procedure is performed relatively unchanged.

Vital Source: Circumcision debate: The Benefits of keeping males intact
An insightful look at the benefits of being intact. Those that avoid circumcision end up with some good benefits. Fro example, a Canadian study showed that infants who were circumcised were more sensitive, crankier, and cried more often. According to the AAP, “there is considerable evidence that newborns who are circumcised without analgesia experience pain and physiological stress,” and “physiological responses to circumcision pain include changes in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and cortisol levels.” It also has been shown to disrupt the mother-baby bond. After the procedure, babies had trouble nursing and would not look into their mother’s eyes.
 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Shea's Blog: An Open Letter to Mohel Michael Henesch
A young man writes an open letter to the Mohel who circumcised him as a baby. He is not happy being circumcised because he can tell that his penis is not all that it should be. He feels the irritation of the mucosal tissue rubbing against his underwear. He can feel the loss of sensitivity from the calloused layer building up on his sensitive bits.
 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Lawn Cares: May San Francisco voters ban circumcision of minors and begin end to insidious sexual assault
Commentary on the announcement of the San Francisco MGM Bill making the November ballot and the media response. Too many parents and would-be parents will get their dander up, claiming such a law undermines their rights to parenting.

Sadly social movements — even when the injustice is so self-apparent — have to endure long waits to get traction.   Conservatives wanting to preserve the status quo are slow in understanding rights and gaining enlightenment.  We know about slavery, marginalization of women, child labor, seven-day workweeks, pollution, etc.  Even when the injustices have been exposed and there can be no doubt of the wrongness, whole blocs of people didn’t yield without a fight.

USA Today: Circumcision ban to appear on San Francisco ballot
Queerty: Will Voters Make San Francisco An Uncircumcised Wonderland?
Wish I Didn't Know: Circumcision Ban to Appear on San Francisco Ballot
Advocate.com: Circumcision Ban Heading to S.F. Voters
City elections officials in San Francisco certified that the Male Genital Mutilation ballot measure has enough valid signatures to be on the ballot in November. The people get to vote on whether baby boys are afforded the same protections as baby girls. It is about time that both boys and girls get to keep their whole genitals.

CBS 6: CBS 6 INVESTIGATION: Circumcision Errors all too common in Central Virginia
A news report on the significant number of botched circumcisions. Even though circumcision problems are common, the risk of complications does not seem to deter doctors and parents from cutting the sex organs of baby boys. "Later on, little boys I can tell you, their penis becomes their best buddy and it means a lot to them." Duh! Of course guys like their penis, cut or not. But many guys would prefer to have their whole penis, working as nature intended.

The Saudi: Child loses member after circumcision
After a circumcision, a 2 year old boy ends up with no penis. Yep, the doctor did something, but he is not telling. But the boy spent 20 days in the hospital. After he was released, the parents were shocked when they noticed that the baby boy's penis was gone. Imagine how the boy will feel when he gets older and wants to have sex.

Beyond the Bris: My Short Take on San Fran's Proposed Circumcision Ban
A Jewish blogger who is a circumcision opponent supports the efforts of San Franciscan’s to ban circumcision. Their work is bringing the important human rights affront of infant circumcision to the national stage. Infant circumcision is such an awful thing that it should be elevated to the status of a crime. At the same time, more education needs to take place, at the community level, before the wrongfulness of infant circumcision will be broadly understood and accepted.
 

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Lizard Dick: The Weigh In
A foreskin restorer blogs about recording his restoration progress. Restoring the foreskin takes a time and the progress is slow and not always visible. Periodically measuring progress, say monthly, keeps restorers motivated.

Male Orgasm And Ejaculation: Foreskin Restoration
A discussion of foreskin restoration and a video by Ron Low. Ron is the man behind the TLC Tugger, a company that makes foreskin restoration devices. The post describes the value of an intact foreskin and how it protects the internal parts of the penis. The foreskin also provides great pleasure to the intact man.

Male Circumcision and HIV: San Francisco circumcision ban ballot measure heating up
Blogger observes, "Amazing how indifferent people can be towards other people's suffering until someone tries to stop them from inflicting said suffering." Commentary on how so many are upset that someone wants to protect baby boys from having unnecessary circumcision surgery.

Sun News Networked - Canada: Circumcision Conflict
A television interview of filmmaker Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, Director of Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision and Bernie Farber, president of Canadian Jewish Congress. Bernie asserts that infant circumcision is a traditional rite that must continue. Eliyahu closes by pointing out that the issue is a conflict of rights. The human right of the infant to a complete body and the right to practice religion, although on others.

The Economist: Against the cut
A UK magazine has a different viewpoint about the infant circumcision battle being fought in San Francisco, California. The Brits are sympathethic to intactivists because infant circumcision was discontinued in the UK several years ago and, now, virtually all baby boys keep their whole sex organ.
 

Friday, May 20, 2011

laist: Santa Monica Considers Ban on Male Circumcision
The LookOut News: Initiative to Ban Circumcision Comes to Santa Monica
An intactivist files a petition to gather signatures in Santa Monica, California. The intactivist seeks a ballot measure to outlaw male infant circumcision in Santa Monica, CA. The news of the petition was quickly picked up by the media.

Jewish Journal: Anti-circumcision movement reaches Santa Monica
Another report of the circumcision ban effort in Santa Monica, California. This is a straight news article without any commentary for or against the recently filed petition to get the ban on the ballot. Many of the comments are great and very supportive of the ban.

Babies, Boobs, and Blasphemy: I Think I Just Threw Up In My Mouth
A Rabbi explains the importance of sucking a boys penis after circumcision during a Brit Milah. It is sad that baby boys have part of their sex organs cut off before they have a chance to use it. But during Mezizah the mohel takes some wine in his mouth and sucks on the baby's penis. He does this several times.

Male Circumcision and HIV: THE ECONOMIST: Against the Cut, The intactivist movement takes on the oldest surgery known to man
Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that a magazine with its origins in Britain, a largely intact country, would take a sober and objective look at the San Francisco circumcision ballot measure. The Economist correctly concludes, "Whatever the fate of his proposed law, Mr [Lloyd] Schofield seems most interested in changing minds. He is thrilled that many Jews signed his petition. Some have begun practising an alternative ceremony; brit shalom, the “covenant of peace”, which involves no cutting."

Your pal Poppy: Circumcision, circumcision, CIRCUMCISION. There, I said it.
A thorough article about infant circumcision and foreskin. Fortunately for her son, the author's husband was intact, so the baby boy was not cut. It was only after the boy was a few months old before she looked into circumcision. She was horrified at what she found. There is no good reason to justify infant circumcision.
 

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Lizard Dick: The First Week
A man restoring his foreskin gives his impressions after one week of tugging with a TLC Tugger. So far, he is very happy. He is learning how best to tug, given his lifestyle. He has not yet gotten used to having something attached to his penis for hours a day. He may be a bit too eager because he is tugging at night. Night time tugging is not advisable when first starting out. There is a risk that the penis may be injured before the pain is severe enough to wake up the restorer. Also, it is not necessary to restore 24 hours a day. Most restorers have good progress tugging for only a few hours a day, generally no more than 12 hours a day.

Family for Equality: Circumcision -The Horror of the Holy
A Jewish blogger describes learning how infant circumcision removes more than just a flap of skin. Circumcision is compared to the abuse that it is. The point is also made that circumcision is expensive in Isreal. Circumcision is a money maker for the practitioners. She has two videos: Circumcision -The Horror of the Holy - Snip Snip - Part 1 and Circumcision -The Horror of the Holy - Snip Snip Part 2.