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.
 

Monday, May 10, 2010

The Huffington Post: First Do No Harm
A critique of the American Academy of Pediatrics newly revised Policy Statement by the Executive Director of Equality Now.

FrontPageMag.com: Embracing Female Genital Mutilation
Another article critical of the AAP policy advocating a form of female genital mutilation (cutting).

US News and World Report: U.S. Doctors Wrong on Female Genital Mutilation Among Immigrants
Another article critical of the AAP policy. The author calls the attitude of bowing to mutilating cultures "insane."

Intenational Coalition for Genital Integrity:  AAP wants to circumcise girls too
Yet another article about the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) new policy statement that advocates a form of female circumcision.
 

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

suite101.com: Jewish Scholar and Mother Questions Circumcision
A short article discussing Jewish mother Mariam Pollack's YouTube videos (part 1 and part 2) in which the Jewish scholar discusses the religious circumcision ritual. Ms. Pollack says circumcision is genital cutting and the practice should stop for circumcising infants.

Bioethics Forum: Cultural Rite, Medical Wrong
A discussion how the AAP is ethically wrong with their new policy statement. Genital mutilation, including male infant circumcision, needs to stop because it violates the child's bodily integrity. Doctors need to get out of the genital cutting business entirely, whether for boys or girls.

Men's News Daily: Open Letter to the American Academy of Pediatrics: The AAP Has No Business in Circumcision
J. Steven Svoboda of Attorneys for the Rights of the Child (ARC) addresses the new AAP Policy Statement.

Guardian UK: Why are US doctors allowing genital mutilation?
An aritcle from the UK critical of the new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement advocating nicking the genitalia of girls. "The AAP's statement would lead to greater harm to girls in the US by institutionalising what it sees as less severe forms of FGM." The author states, "the statement completely fails to recognise that human rights standards are absolute and not to be compromised upon in the name of possible harm reduction. The principle behind safeguarding human rights is harm elimination. The statement flies in the face of all international and regional deliberations on the issue, which have concluded that any medically unnecessary procedure to alter female genitalia constitutes a human rights violation and therefore must not be tolerated." This same sentiment also applies to the human rights of boys with respect to male circumcision.

Star Observer: Your thoughts are your own
A father describes a conversation he had with his sons. His boys saw another boy who was circumcised. The sons were curious and their dad had a simple conversation with them. Many worry about how their sons will react when they learn of their peer's circumcision status. This post shows that it is not a big deal, if handled properly by the parents.
 

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

DrMomma: Peaceful Parenting: BUY 4 GET 1 FREE SHIRT/ONESIE SALE
Dr Momma is promoting t-shirts sold by Spreadshirt. The t-shirts have wonderful messages relating to birth, being intact, intactivism, breastfeading, and other baby friendly messages.

Poetry for Sluts: The Orange Bin
A poem about the lost foreskins taken from millions of baby boys.
 

Thursdy, May 13, 2010

Intenational Coalition for Genital Integrity: 25,000 tell CDC to not touch childrens genitals
Intact America has sent a petitino containing 25,278 signatures to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Atlanta Georgia headquarters.

late, from the hyacinth garden:  AAP says "compromised" female circumcision is A-OK
An examination of the Committee on Bioethics of the American Association of Pediatrics revised Policy Statement on "Ritual Genital Cutting of Female Minors." ANY level of mutilation is not okay. Call it a nick if you will, that doesn't change what it is. With this policy revision, the AAP is basically saying it's okay to mutilate young girls as long as you don't mutilate them too badly.
 

Friday, May 14, 2010

late, from the hyacinth garden: As for male circumcision . . .
The author questions why female genital cutting is abhorrant in the US but male genital cutting (circumcision) is endorsed. It is a double standard and the only difference is the gender of the child whose genitalia is being cut.

npr: Doctors Seek Compromise On Female Genital Cutting
Law Professor Dena Davis raises a valid point about how Americans are horrified at the thought of cutting a girl's genitalia, but have no problem cutting a baby boy's genitalia. It was not that long ago that female circumcision was practiced in the US, becoming illegal only in 1996. I can only hope that we can soon afford the same bodily integrity rights to boys. No child should be subject to genital alterations.

The Great Teapot In Space: Genital mutilation: It's not just for ladies
The AAP endorsement of a form of female genital mutilation is compared to the cultural practice of male circumcision, which is much more severe than the proposed nicking of the female sex organ. It is a violation of human rights to perform a medically unnecessary cosmetic surgery on a infant. This alone is reason enough to end this antiquated religious ritual.
 

Saturday, May 15, 2010

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: An immodest proposal to the AAP
The ICGI suggests that the AAP compromises on their Policy Statement by allowing only a prin prick for both male and female children. Such a policy would remove the gender discrimination that currently exists because male genitals can be cut and female genitals cannot.