The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA."
Source: Journal
of
Human Lactation 19(1), 2003.
Other
articles
about circumcision and breastfeeding
Circumcision
- by Marian Tompson, co-founder of La Leche League
Circumcision
vs.
Breastfeeding - downloadable pamphlet
"The
Womanly
Art of Breastfeeding" - an excerpt on circumcision
Circumcision
Leads
to Breastfeeding Complications - Mothering Magazine
Breastfeeding saves babies' lives, and circumcision interferes with breastfeeding. Thus, circumcision is responsible for many deaths each year by interfering with the breastfeeding relationship:
Position
Statement:
The Effects of Circumcision on Breastfeeding (from NOCIRC)
Breastfeeding
and
the risk of postneonatal death in the United States.
Chen A, Rogan WJ.
Pediatrics. 2004 May;113(5):e435-9.
In addition to its many known bonding and health benefits,
breastfeeding appears to lower the risk of a baby dying during its
first year of life, US research indicates. As many as 720
babies die each year because they weren't breastfed, and about 300
of those can be attributed to circumcision.
Amputation of the penis. - This extremely rare complication can be minimized by using good surgical technique but is unlikely to be eliminated. Unfortunately, even under ideal circumstances and with experienced surgeons [it] continues to occur.
And sometimes it boggles my mind even more that midwives who would bring out the lawyers if a family planned any kind of female cutting will attend a bris and sit by and smile as the boy baby is cut.
As healthcare professionals, I think we have an obligation to give parents real healthcare information about the risks of circumcision, although you'd think it would be obvious that there's a 100% chance that the baby will lose a significant amount of healthy, functional tissue. They need to know that it's a surgical procedure that can go wrong, and some babies are maimed or killed by circumcision. (Well, really, technically all babies are maimed by circumcision, since maimed means "physically injured".) And, of course, it interferes with breastfeeding.
As advocates for babies, I think we have an obligation to encourage parents to leave this decision up to the child. I'm happy to say that I've had three Jewish families who did not circumcise their baby boys, and they've all thanked me for helping them to get to that place. Two of them had lovely home no-cut bris ceremonies for the babies, and I was very happy to attend.
You can learn about male
and female circumcision for religious reasons and about no-cut
or low-cut bris ceremonies.
Circumcision (Infant Male) from The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
“Circumcision removes the prepuce that covers and protects the
head or the glans of the penis. The prepuce is composed of
an outer skin and an inner mucosa that is rich in specialized
sensory nerve endings and erogenous tissue. Circumcision is
painful, and puts the patient at risk for complications ranging
from minor, as in mild local infections, to more serious such as
injury to the penis, meatal stenosis, urinary retention, urinary
tract infection and, rarely, even haemorrhage leading to death.”
There are some very interesting essays on circumcision as an
important ritual in the creation of a warrior class. We do
have some academic research showing that circumcision changes an
infant's response to pain . . . [Ed: results in a lifelong change
in the response to pain. Somewhat surprisingly, this actually
makes the baby more sensitive to pain. Perhaps this helps to
create a more fierce warrior? Yes, that would make
sense. If they're more sensitive to pain, then a smaller
wound would increase their adrenaline more and thus enable them to
fight more fiercely, short of a mortal wound.]
NOCIRC has made a new, 20
minute video on circumcision.
In addition, a Circumcision
Resource page has been developed for educators and
birth care providers..
norm.org - A growing number of men who wish they had been left intact (not circumcised) are benefitting from non-surgical foreskin restoration.
YouTube video about the recent African studies that claim to show that circumcision prevents HIV. Dr. Dean Edell discusses these studies, and how they relate to our own experience in the U.S.
Presently, eighteen states no longer fund non-therapeutic
Medicaid circumcisions, including Arizona, California, Colorado,
Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon,
South Carolina, Utah, and Washington.
The birthing professionals summary page :
http:
A good handout on care of the intact penis is from NOCIRC:
http:
Intact America's handout on care of the intact penis:
http:
Intact America - a new organization is forming to raise awareness of the harms of circumcision, combining and building on the work of the grassroots efforts for the past 30 years.
Intact America’s circumcision information flyer in English
This
flyer
in Spanish
International Coalition for Genital Integrity
A comprehensive informed consent about circumcision - Full Disclosure:
Circumcision Information for Health Professionals and Parents
(6 pages) To make an informed choice, parents of all male infants
should be given accurate and unbiased information. This document
portrays all known issues dealing with infant circumcision
including, its benefits, risks and disadvantages.
Mothering Magazine
has some circumcision
articles
online.
A series of articles from mothersagainstcirc.org, including:
The Circumcision Decision: An Overview by Mary G. Ray,©1998
The Case
Against Circumcision by Paul M. Fleiss, MD
Is
Neonatal
Circumcision Clinically Beneficial? Argument Against
[Medscape registration is free]
Posted 03/26/2009
Robert S. Van Howe
."
. . .
"Circumcision removes a complex, pentilaminar, specialized, junctional structure that contains nearly all the penis' fine-touch neuroreceptors. Not surprisingly, the foreskin is the most sensitive portion of the penis. Circumcision can reduce the sensitivity of the glans to fine-touch and vibration.[11,12] No wonder adults who undergo circumcision report less-satisfying sex, reduced sensitivity and erectile function, difficulty with intromission, and increased premature ejaculation.[13] Other commonly reported complications of circumcision include infection (1–3%), excessive bleeding (1–9%), meatitis (20%), meatal stenosis (5–8%), subcutaneous granuloma (5%), balanitis (16%), coronal adhesions (30%), skin bridges (2%), and phimosis (1–2%). Parents also request a repeat circumcision for cosmetic reasons in 2% of cases. Furthermore, circumcised newborn boys are 12 times more likely to acquire community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections than uncircumcised newborns.[14] Other less-common complications of circumcision include septicemia, meningitis, Fournier gangrene, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, tetanus, herpes simplex infection, empyema, pubic hair strangulation, denudation of the penis, glans amputation, urethral fistula, penile edema, pyogenic granulomas, acute urinary retention with acute renal failure, ruptured bladder, UTI or urine advancing in subcutaneous fascial plains, penile ischemia, pneumothorax, pseudoparaphimosis, pulmonary embolism, unilateral leg cyanosis, gastric rupture, myocardial injury and erythema multiforme.."
Circumcision links from BirthLove [Ed: birthlove.com is not
available at this time.]
In Memory of the
Sexually Mutilated Child
Counseling Couples in Disagreement About Circumcision: A
Jewish Perspective
Laurie Evans, M.A.
Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 2002 Fall; 17(1):85-94
APPPAH maintains online
abstracts.
Circumcision
by Marylin Milos [9/20/05] - This has an excellent summary of the
history of circumcision.
How
Circumcision
Affects Sexuality by Marilyn Milos, RN
Weblog for Forced Genital Cutting Survivors - Project: OUCH! This is a collection of first hand accounts told by victims, survivors, and participants of forced genital cuttings including stories of male infant circumcisions, female genital mutilations, and gender-norming surgeries.
blOUCH! is
for the benefit of:
Anyone genitally traumatized, injured, scarred, tortured, sexually deprived, or mutilated.
Anyone forcibly cut in a medical, cultural, religious, or ritual genital cutting.
Men who were circumcised against their will, even if as an infant.
Women who were genitally cut against their will.
Intersexed who were forced to undergo gender norming surgery.
Anyone with an early recollection that may be from a genital cutting.
Parents who regret having cut their children.
Anyone traumatized by witnessing, participating in, or intervening with a forced genital cutting.
Anyone in relationship with someone described above.
dear
mamma by Melissa M. Harden - about natural parenting for the
first year, with a strong emphasis on keeping male babies intact.
"The foreskin is NOT a birth defect!" There's an exciting
new public awareness campaign - Billboards Across America -
organized by NOCIRC. You
can donate towards renting billboards.
Circumcision and Penile Care Resources for Birth Care Providers
Many expectant parents have questions about circumcision and proper foreskin care of their baby boy. Over the past twenty years, more research has been done on circumcision, including its immediate and lifelong effects. Parents circumcise less as they learn more. Almost half of American boys, and most Canadian boys, leave the hospital intact, and the number of intact boys is rapidly increasing.
We have compiled a list of educational resources - pamphlets to
download, videotapes to watch, and websites to visit. You will
find information including medical recommendations regarding
circumcision; how circumcision impacts breastfeeding and what La
Leche League's founder wrote about it;.
There's a new book, Doctors
Re-examine
Circumcision.
Circumcised Men Less Likely to Transmit Chlamydia Trachomatis
Female sexual partners of circumcised men are less likely to
contract Chlamydia trachomatis infections than are those of
uncircumcised men, a
multinational team of investigators report.
Chlamydia
trachomatis
infection in female partners of circumcised and uncircumcised
adult men.
Castellsague X, Peeling RW, Franceschi S, de Sanjose S, Smith JS, Albero G, Diaz M, Herrero R, Munoz N, Bosch FX; IARC Multicenter Cervical Cancer Study Group.
Am J Epidemiol. 2005 Nov 1;162(9):907-16. Epub 2005 Sep 21.
Direction for future inquiry - what would be the effect of amputation of the entire glans? I'm guessing this would have even more significant effects in reducing the infection rates of many sexually transmitted infections in their female partners. What the heck . . . Why not just cut off the entire penis, which would eliminate penile cancer in our lifetimes!
And while we're at it, how about routine amputation of breast tissue for all female babies. This will significantly reduce, if not completely eliminate, breast cancer.
You really have to wonder about any line of inquiry that encourages amputation of healthy tissue. Why stop with primary or secondary sexual organs? Think about the primary vector for colds and flus . . . the most recent research shows that these germs are usually transmitted by the hands to the eyes/nose/mouth. What if we cut off the hands? That would really cut down on transmission of colds and flus. This might even be the key to preventing a pandemic of avian flu.
This line of inquiry arises from ignorance about the function of
the foreskin in sexual arousal, stimulation and
satisfaction. How can it make more sense to cut off part of
the body than to use a condom?
The Prepuce - a new film by Doctors Opposing Circumcision; it's meant for medical students but is good public education as well.
(WMP, streaming) http:
(WMP, download) http:
Circumcision
FAQ from notjustskin.org
Study shows circumcision may reduce AIDS risk
I grew up in the province where they did this study. It made me so angry reading about it. More prejudiced scientists making assumption and conducting a study on a (probably) disenfranchised population. I wonder if they even gave adequate informed consent.
I also like to remind people that prophylactic double mastectomy
reduces breast cancer rates to almost zero, but I don't see people
rushing to do them on newborns. Having all your teeth
removed prevents worries about tooth decay and gum disease,
too. Basically, people need to be helped to learn basic
skills for good hygiene.
In response to good arguments that Circumcision is a "nice"
phrase that doesn't rightly describe the practice, I have added
the phrase, "Male Genital Mutilation" to the title of this web
page. I also maintain some information about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
I had trouble finding pamphlets I could provide my clients to
educate them about circumcision. Some were kind of tucked
away in the back pages of NOHARMM - Order Form for
NOHARMM Resources
Intactivism
- If tradition called for your healthy baby girl to be
altered in such a manner, would you consent to surgery?
This
nurse
withdrew from nursing school after observing a circumcision
and questioning the medical model that perpetuates newborn
mutilation.
This homepage is primarily dedicated to non-violence, and includes a focus on
male and female circumcision, especially in the Arab
countries. Written by Fr. Raed Abu-Sahlieh and his brother
Dr.Sami Aldeeb.
Dr. Dean Edell's educational Web pages about circumcision, in response to the American Academy of Pediatrics' New Circumcision Policy, as of March 1, 1999.
"Circumcision is not essential to a child’s well-being at birth, even though it does have some potential medical benefits. These benefits are not compelling enough to warrant the AAP to recommend routine newborn circumcision."
Circumcision Resource
Center
Circumcision Information and
Resource Pages
Mothers Against
Circumcision
Should Our Baby Be Circumcised? - from "The Marnie Ko Collection" on Nurturing Online
The aesthetics of
the foreskin : Victor Doiteau, M.D from the French site - Association contre la Mutilation
des Enfants
33 Photographs of
The Intact Adult Male Foreskin By John A. Erickson
from foreskin.org
There is also a FAQ available from misc.kids which lists reasons
for or against circumcision.
C.I.R.C. is an organization fighting genital mutilation for both
genders. C.I.R.C. of Washington, P. O. Box 75594, Seattle, WA
98125.
Declaration of the 1st International
Symposium on Circumcision
Lots
of
circumcision articles from P e a c e f u l B e g i n
n i n g s (scroll down about halfway)
Circumcision,
Baseball,
Mom and Apple Pie by Donald Morgan
Overview of Circumcision Issues - [This treatise is temporarily
unavailable pending a re-appearance on Don Morgan's own web site.]
http:
http:
http:
http:
noharmm-l Mailing List: To subscribe, send the following (with
your email address substituted where shown) in the body of a
message to 'majordomo@eskimo.com': SUBSCRIBE noharmm-l [Your email
address]
Attorneys for the Rights of the
Child is a non-profit organization founded to secure equal
protection for, and broaden judicial and public recognition of,
children’s legal and human rights to bodily integrity and
self-determination.
NOHARMM - National Organization
to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males - Advocating
Against Male Genital Mutilation
Contact Ron Goldman, CRC, POB232, Boston, MA 02133 (617)523-0088
or 617-566-1430 Call NOCIRC and ask for the nearest resource or
contact person. The number is (415) 488-9883.
Ted Ledbetter <tedled@earthlink.net> wrote:
MEMORANDUM
TO: All Mothers Eveywhere
FROM:Every Newborn Son
SUJECT: Circumcision
Do NOT do it to me. Please! Never!
1)It Hurts Like Hell!
2)Every part of me is God-given and no man or woman has the right to it take away without my informed consent!
3)It's NOT a health issue any more than preventing breast-cancer by cutting off the breasts of newborn girls Aren't you glad no one to cut off any part of you when you were born? (Even if they did, don't do it to me.)
4)Don't ever believe any man who says he's glad it happened to him...what else can he say without disrespecting the one who brought him into this world?
5)see #1
NOCIRC-National Organization of
Circ. Info. and Resource Centers
CIRP-Circ. Info. and Resource
Page
Circumcision-
the Real Truth
Circumcision:
A
Medical or a Human Rights Issue?
There is a sort of sexism in the circumcision discussion that I
find somewhat troubling.
I notice that birth advocates work hard to denounce the practice of episiotomy, which is making a cut through the woman's genital tissue and then stitching it back up after the baby is born. And many of them also work hard to eradicate female circumcision, also called female genital mutilation, throughout the world. In fact, female circumcision is now illegal in the United States and in many other countries.
Yet, many of these same people are tolerant of male circumcision or even indulgent of the practice.
Why is it OK to circumcise baby boys, who have no say over the situation, but it's not OK for doctors to perform an episiotomy on a woman who has chosen this doctor, or for young women to choose to travel to another country to be circumcised?
This smacks of overt sexism: a feeling that baby girls, young women and birthing women deserve more advocacy and protections than baby boys.
What's going on here?
State details safety lapses at Beth Israel - Sloppy cleaning, lax training are cited [4/11/09]
[Ed: Beth Israel is one of the *best* hospitals around, and if they're having trouble with antibiotic-resistant infections, you can bet that your local community hospital is, too.]
Quote: And, on several occasions, the investigators observed worrisome lapses related to circumcisions, including an instance when a nurse didn't change gloves before tending to the dressings of a baby. Of the 19 infants who have become ill with the drug-resistant staph infection, 15 have been boys, according to Dr. Anita Barry, who is overseeing the investigation of the cases by the Boston Public Health Commission.
"I think the circumcision dressing example was one we found
particularly problematic," Dreyer said. "You've got examples of
contamination that may be in the context of kids with open wounds
from circumcision. The danger is spread of infection."
Circumcision: dirty little secrets exposed - Gloria Lemay's blog has a list of publicized Circumcision Tragedies: Known Circumcision Deaths, Botched Circumcisions, and Unauthorized Circumcisions.
Nine
week old Celian Noumbiwe died as a result of a circumcision.
Deaths from
Circumcision - a comprehensive article on the subject.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DISEASES OF CHILDREN, Volume 132, Page 1168.
December 1978.
This
article states, "It is an uncontestable fact at this point
that there are more deaths from complications of circumcision than
from cancer of the penis."
Search
the
internet for web pages about "deaths from circumcision".
Canadian Journal Reviews Studies on
Circumcision
Critique of Canadian Journal Reviews
Studies on Circumcision
Circumcising
baby
boys 'criminal assault'
Ethicist says society must consider ban Friday 17 October 1997, Sharon Kirkey, The Ottawa Citizen
Kaiser Foundation Research Institute in Oakland, California, says
routine circumcision can significantly reduce the risk of urinary
tract infection, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including
HIV, and penile cancer.
Ed Schoen is a well-known circumcisionist whose rantings have been largely dismissed by every medical association in the industrialized world. Not only is his opinion biased it's also untrue, as the latest study reported in the NEJM shows an INCREASE in STDs, particularly chlamydia, in circumcised men. Oh and least we forget Schoen's atrocious poetry he loves to write on the subject of what penes (penis-es) look like? The man has a serious problem.
Much as prophylactic mastectomy would prevent breast cancer??Actually the incidence of penile cancer many times less frequent than breast cancer, and is most often linked to tobacco usage.
On what studies are these claims based? The risk of penile cancer is as great as the risk of death from circumcision.Oh, it's just Schoen at it again. He feels he doesn't need anything but his opinions.
The studies that I reviewed that claimed correlation between intact status and STD's, UTI's, and other "penile problems" were methodologically weak and not without significant bias.This is why no major medical association will support these claims--they just don't hold up under scrutiny.
Be careful what you counsel your clients on if you haven't read the research for yourself.Search the CIRP cite for more up-to-date research and statements by the Australian and Canadian medical associations.
sighing and shaking my head that we are so arrogant to think that we can improve upon nature.Exactly, the burden of proof is on those who propose altering the normal state of male genitalia.
The first is the long awaited appearance in the British Journal of Urology (1) of the John R. Taylor article: The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision. This article discusses anatomy and histology.
The second is the appearance in the British Medical Journal (2) of an important letter from John Warren et Al. regarding the circumcision of children.
The letter says, "It cannot be ethical for a doctor to amputate normal tissue from a normal child."
References:
1. Taylor JR, Lockwood AP, Taylor AJ; The prepuce: specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision. British Journal of Urology (1996), 77, 291-295
2. Warren J et al., Letter: Circumcision of Children, British
Medical Journal Volume 312, 377, 10 February 1996
The circumcision wound portal-of-entry can allow the development of severe infections:
Staphylococcal
scalded
skin syndrome. A complication of circumcision. [Full
text
of case reports] [Related
Articles]
Annunziato D, Goldblum LM.
Am J Dis Child. 1978 Dec;132(12):1187-8.
staphylococcal
scalded skin syndrome: massive outbreak due to an unusual phage
type. [Full
text] [Related
Articles]
Curran JP, Al-Salihi FL.
Pediatrics. 1980 Aug;66(2):285-90..
Impetigo
in
newborn infants associated with a plastic bell clamp
circumcision. [Full
text] [Related
Articles]
Stranko J, Ryan ME, Bowman AM.
Pediatr Infect Dis. 1986 Sep-Oct;5(5):597-9.
Postcircumcision
urinary
tract infection.
Cohen HA, Drucker MM, Vainer S, Ashkenasi A, Amir J, Frydman M, Varsano I.
Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1992 Jun;31(6):322-4..
nocirc.org/articles
and specifically:
nocirc.org/articles/rhinehart1.php
I'd start here and use some of their references/works cited pages. This mother is right on. I lost track of the number of nursing issues I saw b/c of circ. "He just stopped eating." or "He was fine yesterday and today he's lethargic and not eating." or "Now he cries all the time but he won't eat." I'll always remember the one client where I put two and two together and since then I've seen it enough to know that babies are really smart and they know that nursing leads to peeing, so to help heal that wound, many won't eat. Some go into a sort of shock where they sleep a lot (and some parents mistake this for a good thing) and others just cry inconsolably.
Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.)
Nurses for the Rights of the
Child
Nurses
Refuse
to Participate in Circumcision
Doula Advocates Against Circumcision
I have been invited several times by parents to attend the
(religious) circumcision of their baby. I accepted the first
invitation and it was a very difficult experience for me, because
I felt that I was witnessing an act of harm (though not intended)
which I could not support. The next two times I was invited,
I told the parents that I had another obligation that day and was
not able to attend. I felt bad for being untruthful. I know
that it is a very meaningful event for the parents and that it is
an honor for me to be included with the family. What have
others done in this situation?
I have also faced this dilemma.
As much as I want to avoid ruffling feathers and hurting feelings, I think that worrying about hurting the feelings of someone who is about to do physical harm to their child is setting the wrong priority. (This ignores the issue of whether it's "bad for business.")
This has happened only a few times, but when I've been invited to a bris, I ask if it's going to be a symbolic ceremony or if they are really going to amputate the foreskin. (There's a group of Jewish people who advocate doing a non-amputation ceremony.)
If they're actually going to cut the baby, I explain that after putting so much energy into working towards a safe, gentle birth for this baby, I can't stand by and watch them cut him.
I once had a Jewish homebirth client who actually changed her mind about circumcision.
But even if it doesn't change anyone's mind, my conscience will be clear that I did what I could to try to preserve genital integrity for this baby.
I sincerely hope that the day will come when nobody would ever think to invite me to watch them amputate healthy tissue from their newborn baby.
I usually notice the first blood curdling scream when the nurse
straps the little guy's legs down on the circumstraint. (Does that
come from the restraint or fear of his circumcision?)
I always thought the worst cry came with the cold betadine wash.
Regarding risk of injury to the penis with a block; those reports
are using lidocaine with epi. When I was taught and when I teach
residents/interns and colleagues how to do this block - the
emphasis is to always use plain lidocaine. I don't know of any
reason plain lidocaine would cause distal injury. There is no
vascular spasm even with intravascular injection. And, after you
do a few circs with local block and see the difference in the
baby's behavior, you will never again do it without a block.
During the injection, I use a 30 gauge needle, inject very slowly
and only 0.2 cc (1% lidocaine) at 10-11 and 1-2 o'clock. Some
babies barely respond to the block itself; some cry a little, but
nothing like the blood curdling scream you get with the circ and
no anesthesia.
[and a parent and nurse comment on pain]
our son was born in a hosp and needed to stay 5 days for
observation. we opted instead to bring sage into the hosp every
day to get checked. during that time, we were present for a
handful of circumcisions. this guy (looked and dressed like capt.
kangaroo) came into the nursery and did it right there. at least
he had the courtesy of closing the window blinds first. my husband
and son and I were in the nursery, in a closed room waiting to see
the pede each day. the first time there was a circ, the piercing
cries and screams of the baby made us all cry. we were not able to
watch but the sounds were heartbreaking and haunting. the next
time we requested a radio to block out the cries of the baby but
that baby did little more than squeak after the initial screaming
and before it was over the baby was red faced and obviously
terrified. his mouth was open but no sound came out. all we could
do each day was hold our son tightly and gape at each other. there
is no way I would ever subject any child of mine to such horror
and pain. I could not imagine doing that after carrying him in my
body for nearly a year, loving and nurturing him in every way. his
penis is his and not mine. my children are gifts to me and I took
care to grow them as well as I could in order to give them bodies
and minds that will serve them perfectly for the length of their
lives. I cannot justify altering them because of my opinion of how
they should look.
Your description is very accurate. I have assisted with about 200 o the sterile tray. The penis is RAW - I often thought it must feel like a 3rd degree burn with alcohol being poored over it.
Consoling is impossible. They shake and their eyes are wide open with panic. Yes, I felt horrible every time. I never got used to it. Each procedure looked as barbaric as the next. Many too much skin was taken off or too little (not worth all that torture). I have seen infections, too. The risk of any invasive procedure even with sterile consultants) that I know will tell you how circumcision is a major source of feeding problems in the days following.
It is simple. If I had not seen circumcisions in person I would
have done it. Even after all those circs - I thought I would do it
except with anesthetic. I thought there was a health benefit and
it was pleasing to me aesthetically (now I think intact is more
pleasing to the eye - my husband even wants his back!) When we
decided to research the topic when I was actually pregnant - we
also learned of the functions of the foreskin and the health
benefits. It was enlightening. Two weeks after my son's birth we
made our final decision. We took our time - we were pretty
objective and we are both very capable of determining the validity
of studies. It doesn't take a person well versed in statistics to
read the information anyway. Reviewing the evolution and history
of circumcision, studying the function of the foreskin and
witnessing at least one is enough to cure ANYONE of believing in
the procedure. I am sorry you had to see that in the nursery. I
can still feel it in my stomach.
Jews Against
Circumcision
Brit
Shalom Celebrants - Brit Shalom is a non-cutting naming
ceremony which replaces Brit Milah (ritual circumcision) for
newborn Jewish boys.
Circumcision and
Religion from NOCIRC
Counseling Couples in Disagreement About Circumcision: A
Jewish Perspective
Laurie Evans, M.A.
Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 2002 Fall; 17(1):85-94
APPPAH maintains online
abstracts.
From the British Medical Journal:.
Even the parents who cut for religious reasons are beginning to
reject the concept of a God who requires a blood sacrifice.
http:
http:
Being Rational About Circumcision and
Jewish Observance
Moshe Rothenberg
715 Ocean Parkway #2K
Brooklyn, NY 11230 -1134
(718) 859-0650
Circumcision Resource Center
Ron Goldman
P.O. Box 232
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 523-0088
Alternative Bris Support Group
Natili Bivas
248 Ventura Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(415) 424-9855
NOCIRC, National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers. P.O. Box 2512, San Anselmo, CA 94979.
NOHARMM, National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males. P.O. Box 460795 San Francisco, CA 94146.
Alternative Bris Support Group, c/o Natali Bivas, 248 Ventura
Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, 415-424-9855. (Alternative Bris is a
naming ceremony only, with no circumcision)
From a NOHARMM pamphlet:
".....Jewish men themselves are highly active in the anti-circumcision movement....Most people don't know it's not circumcision which confers upon one their Jewishness. While circumcising an infant son might arguably make a parent (not the child) a more observant Jew, Jewishness itself comes (except for converts) simply from having a Jewish mother. The circumcision most American Jewish males receive from a doctor doesn't satisfy religious requirements. Moreover, some Jews reject ancient practices that violate human rights and have adopted more humane Bris ceremonies appropriate to both sexes. Alternative Bris support groups exist here in the United States.
We impugn no religion, but assert that an intact body is a universal human right. Indeed, we affirm the rite of circumcision for religious purposes when the participant himself willingly chooses it. We as circumcised men of all religions have experienced genital abuse against our wills. We have the right and duty to speak out against a practice that we feel has harmed our violated us, even if it confronts religious tradition. We affirm the universal human right to be free from genital alteration and we support men in their efforts to educate their respective cultures about this issue."
I hope this helps. Please email me and let me know what responses
you get from my forwarding your letter, and let me know if you
have any other questions - I'll try to help in any way I can.
Jenna
Helen Bryce, Alternative Bris Support Group, (408) 475-3313.
Moshe Rothenberg, 715 Ocean Pkwy #2K, Brooklyn, NY 11230-1134, (718) 859-0650.
See also Cultural
and Religious Issues
Information about Judaism and Circumcision can be found in the
combined FAQ for soc.culture.jewish.parenting and
Soc.Culture.Jewish: Part 12: Jewish Childrearing Related Questions
See, God said it! Circumcision means nothing to him!
Don't use Him as your excuse. Inform yourselves, before you speak
of His will.
Moses Maimonides was a twelfth century rabbi and philosopher whose works rank with the greatest and most respected Judaic writings of all time. Here is what he has to say about circumcision, in his oeuvre, "The Guide perfection and perpetuation of this Law can only be achieved if circumcision is performed in childhood.... Then it begins to decrease and to disappear, I refer to this imaginative form.. At the time of its birth, on the other hand, this imaginative form is very weak, especially as far as concerns the father upon whom this commandment is imposed.
--courtesy Geoffrey T. Falk [gtf@math.rochester.edu], http:
(excerpts from Circumcision section of November 95 issue of The Fathering HomePage)
--Robin Verner, The
Fathering HomePage
[from a doula] When I do have Jewish clients I will muster all the courage I can and offer them information the same as everyone else, just more. I don't believe there is any harm in offering information. I will offer the info as early as possible in the pregnancy so if they are offended so much so that we can't go forward they'll have the opportunity to find someone else, if it came to that.
The info I would share (at this point) would be chapter 25 in the book "Say NO to Circumcision: 40 Compelling Reasons" By Thomas J. Ritter, M.D. and George Denniston, M.D. and provide them with the information they need to find the info referenced at the end of that chapter. If they don't decline circ. for this baby, maybe the next baby they will feel differently about it after they have experienced one circumcision? Doubtful, but perhaps.
I often tackle this topic right from the start and have even sent information out to people who are only inquiring about services. I feel if I teach them nothing but about circumcision I have done a good job. :-) I usually use "What I wish I had known", and the 10 minute VCR tape that nocirc distributes, Just like daddy.
I think one of the best points to make is to teach them that
there is not a covenant for the removal of so much skin as is done
routinely today.
"I would do anything not to hurt you, my parents, except hurt my
child." --Jewish mother who refused to have her baby son
circumcised. From It's a
Boy! (video), by Victor Schonfeld
Foreskin care - Parents can relax, knowing they can care for their natural son using this basic information, and that he will be healthy, safe, and happy from
Penile hygiene for
intact (non-circumcised) males
AAP
Retracts
Controversial Policy on Female Genital Cutting - the board
writes: "The AAP does not endorse the practice of offering a
'clitoral nick.' This minimal pinprick is forbidden under federal
law and the AAP does not recommend it to its members."
I feel exactly the same way about male circumcision as I do about female circumcision.
I used to think male circumcision was no big deal. After learning more about how much of the genital nerve endings are destroyed and after seeing a baby soon after having "the procedure" done, I realized how traumatic it really is.
Male circumcision is no more "civilized" than female circumcision. If you support male circumcision for religious reasons, then you must support female circumcision for the same reasons.
It is absurd to cut off healthy tissue in the hope of preventing a rare disease, such as penile cancer. Why not do double mastectomies on all young girls to prevent breast cancer? Do you know how many women die of breast cancer every year? Why not just cut off all that potentially cancerous tissue?
I'm reminded of the times when women had to point out the misogyny of routine episiotmy. Male OBs used to think it was no big deal . . . you just make a little snip, and then you sew it back up . . . good as new, right? And they weren't even removing any tissue!
Now I see female midwives shuddering at the thought of female circumcision but happily passing along the name of someone who does "gentle" male circumcision.
When I became a midwife, I made a commitment to protect babies
from being cut out or yanked out of their mother's bodies, having
their bonding and breastfeeding disrupted, and having their bodies
mutilated. I feel as strongly about this commitment to boy
babies as to girl babies. I would like to think all midwives do.
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