The featured blog this week is one that is not the typical circumcision related blog:

Juan Pistolas sin su "funda"... mento: Retrospectiva: etapa infantil (Retrospective: infancy)
A Spanish-language by a Mexican man. He writes about circumcision and being intact. Even in Mexico, the US circumcising culture is felt. To read it in English, check out the Google Translation.
 

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, October 21, 2012

Legos on the Stairs: Circumcision: a question that should never have been asked
A mother tells the story of her first son's circumcision. It was not good (are they ever?) and she did her research after the boy was cut. But it was too late for him then. When she had her second son, she knew better. She left him whole and intact. She was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was to care for a baby who was not circumcised.

Joseph4GI: AAP TRADE SHOW 2012: Silencing Dissent - First the Booth, Now the Protest
A short report on how the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is trying to stifle the demonstrators outside the convention hall.
 

Monday, October 22, 2012

The Washington Post: Anti-circumcision activists confront pediatricians
A news report of the demonstrations at the recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Annual Convention in New Orleans. Intactivists from across the United States protested outside the convention hall. Many men are starting to speak up about the harm they suffered from having part of their sex organ removed at birth. I am one of those men. I do not like that I was circumcised.
  Read more . . .

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.
 

Monday, October 15, 2012

The damage from circumcision: Presentation
A new blog and its first post is about the objective of the site, which is "to dig deeper into understanding the damage that circumcision makes on a routinely basis, to create awareness about the need of further research and reevaluation of routine infant circumcision."

The Jerusalem Post: An insight to the Denmark circumcision debate
An examination of how the Dutch view male infant circumcision. Denmark has a secular society and their concern is for the child. They respect the rights of the child to have bodily autonomy. The author of the article points out:

The majority of the voices raised against circumcision have three main points: firstly, the basic human right to an intact body. When there are no medical reasons to perform surgery on a child, any procedure must be considered an assault.
 
Secondly, research has shown that in societies such Denmark’s where good healthcare and high hygiene standards prevail there are hardly any medical benefits from circumcision. When it comes to preventing STD’s, for instance, a much more effective approach is the simple use of condoms.
 
Thirdly, there is the concern that if there are any risks the child may suffer health or sexual consequences from the circumcision immediately after the procedure or perhaps later on in life as an adult, it should be prohibited.

The Sudbury Star: Circumcision is an assault on a male child
An opinion letter for a newspaper. A registered nurse tells that assisting with circumcisions was the worst experience in her training. From her experience, male infant circumcision is an assault on the baby's body.

Attorneys for the Rights of the Child: Journal of Law and the Public Interest to publish article by ARC's Peter Adler
The article, "Is circumcision legal?" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Law and the Public Interest at the University of Richmond. The author shows that the facts about circumcision are known and the law is clear. Circumcision is dangerous, harms all boys and men, benefits few, if any, and any benefits can be achieved more easily and effectively without it. Boys, like girls and adults, have an absolute right to genital integrity under the common law, constitutional law, criminal law, tort law, and human rights law.
  Read more . . .

Parents, protect your babies. Support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past two weeks. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

But first, here is a post I found at Austin Mama: Foreskin and Several Years from Now. This humorous article was written by the wife of a man restoring his foreskin. It was posted on October 11, 2001. I imagine her husband is fully restored by now and she is no longer laughing, but likely screaming from pleasure as he uses his new foreskin.
 

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Intact America: INTACTIVIST OF THE MONTH: Joseph Jensen
The October 2012 Intactivist of the Month for Intact America is Joseph Jensen. He is a young man, recently graduated from university and newly employed by Intact America. He is intact and the post tells of him growing up intact. He says it was not a problem.
 

Monday, October 1, 2012

Lizard Dick: Fall is here! Time to Tug my Foreskin!
After restoring his foreskin for several months, this tugger took a break over the summer. He writes about starting to tug again.

Above the Law: Circumcision, Anti-Semitism, And You (Part Deux)
A legal analysis of the various issues with respect to the New York City informed consent requirement for circumcision. The Jewish community is up in arms. But the law is on the side of allowing the required informed consent.

Intactivists of Australasia: Circumcision and foreskin restoration hit the mainstream media in Australia
A report of a Australian public broadcaster having an open forum on circumcision. Also, Punch publishes a testimonial by a man who says I was circumcised and I want my foreskin back!
 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Punch: I was circumcised and I want my foreskin back!
A man tells of how he reacted to seeing other boys who were intact and had their whole penis, not circumcised like him. He dismissed foreskin restoration when he first learned of it as a teenager. By the time he was in his mid-twenties he decided to begin foreskin restoration in earnest. He believes that boys should be protected just as we protect girls from genital cutting.
  Read more . . .

I am running late with reporting my foreskin restoration progress. I had intended to write a 4 year progress report. Yep, four years. I started restoring in August 2008.

My initial progress was fast. Within 18 months my penis was unrecognizable because I had restored so much of my foreskin. I had full flaccid coverage most of the time. With full flaccid coverage I no longer had that irritation of my penis rubbing against my shorts. I had restored the full luster of my glans and inner foreskin remnant such that the mucous membranes were shiny and pink. I also had the gliding motion of the foreskin. The gliding action was a new experience for me and turned out to be the best part of restoring.

My progress slowed after that, mostly on purpose. With full flaccid coverage I had reached a major milestone. I reduced my tugging sessions from one to two hours a day to about 10 to 15 minutes most days. I was happy with my restored foreskin and I was less motivated to get more. Read more . . .

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, September 23, 2012

Barrels of Oranges: Foreskin Phobia
The times are changing. Thanks to the Internet, young people are learning about human anatomy instead of hearing all the old wive's tales about sex and body parts. This shift in learning about human anatomy will ultimately prove the death of male infant circumcision. Those growing up in the internet age will know of the value of the foreskin. They will wonder why some want to cut off a healthy body part. They will rebel.
 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Enlightened Male2000: A Case Against Circumcision
"The foreskin is the most sensitive part of the penis," so says Professor Ryan McAllister. I know that after restoring my foreskin that my penis is, overall, much more sensitive than it was before restoring. I cannot restore all the parts that were amputated, but what I could restore made a big difference. The blog entry has examples of the natural male penis, including the foreskin. NSFW The amputation of the foreskin is not a parental choice. The elective surgery and body modification should be up to the person with the penis being modified. My parents had no right to cut off a valuable part of my penis. I would much prefer to have kept my foreskin instead of being circumcised as a baby.

Intact by Default: AAP Shifts Stance on Male Castration
A satirical post lamenting the recently revised AAP circumcision policy statement. The AAP fails to consider the ethics of elective body modification surgery performed on baby boys.
  Read more . . .

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, September 16, 2012

Psychology Today: What Happened to Ethics in Pediatric Medicine?
Many child care practices advocated by pediatricians are harmful to babies. Many doctors advocate crying it out as a form of sleep training a baby. The AAP also recently came out in favor of male infant circumcision by ignoring the known harms and risk of the elective genital surgery. The author is a psychology professor and knows better.

Babies who are distressed, such as by being abandoned to cry it out or by having their most sensitive body part cut, suffer harm. Pediatricians often wrongly say that babies do not feel pain. "Everything that happens to a baby in the first years of life is being recorded the body and brain, shaping who they become. Thresholds for all systems are being established in the early days, co-constructed by caregivers. Trauma lasts a lifetime."

Savoir ou se faire avoir: Is Infant Circumcision a Violation of Human Rights?
In the hubbub surrounding the American Academy of Pediatrics’ endorsement of circumcision, a single question remains unanswered: Does infant circumcision violate basic human rights? The AAP did not address ethics in their policy statement. Too much weight is given to cultural issues and not enough to the human rights of the individual who is having a healthy part of his body cut off. Unfortunately, the author never defines ethics and instead recites several disparate facts that server only to confuse the ethics question.

Men Do Complain: Secular Europe march London Sept. 2012
Human rights is an issue for all humans. The secular organization, Men Do Complain, marched in London to end the practice of genital cutting of children. Male circumcision of babies and children violates human rights.
 

Monday, September 17, 2012

The WHOLE Network: Some American Jews Think That Child Circumcision Should Be Against the Law
A growing number of Jews are in favor of banning child circumcision. Many Jews practice Brit Shalom, a naming ceremony that replaces the circumcision rite.

The White Network: Circumcision – An Idea Whose Time Has Passed
A podcast about male infant circumcision. There are many cons to circumcision, but the media only talks about the pros. Why is that? There is a lack of any positive benefits from circumcision beyond vague health claims that don’t withstand scrutiny. The original purpose of circumcision was to reduce sexual pleasure.
  Read more . . .

The big news this week is that the New York City Board of Health now requires parental consent before a mohel can perform metzitzah b'peh, which is a circumcision ritual in which the mohel uses his mouth to suck blood from the circumcision wound. The health board requirement comes after several baby boys were infected with herpes from the mohel. Several of the baby boys died from the disease. Unfortunately, the Jewish community is up in arms about the new requirement, putting religious freedom above informing the parents of the risk. Although, some conservative rabbis back the required consent before circumcision.
 

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, September 9, 2012

Men Do Complain: How many men do complain about their circumcision?
Men who were circumcised at birth do suffer harm, even if not all of them realize it. There are many men who wish that they had never been circumcised. It is time that male infant circumcision was studied in adult men. Infant circumcision results in physical harm. That much is proven in studies. There are studies that show that circumcised men can experience psychological harm.

SI Live: Is circumcision an expression of religious faith - or mutilation of children?
Ronald Goldman, Ph.D., executive director of the Jewish Circumcision Resource Center, writes about the circumcision controversy. He points out why male infant circumcision is harmful and should be stopped worldwide. He points out that many countries are taking a stronger stand against male infant circumcision for being a violation of the boy's human rights.

Moralogous: Don’t despair, intactivists: we have already won.
Gandhi said, “Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.”  The blogger says that truth and justice are on the side of intactivists fighting to protect babys from circumcision, and they have already won.  Not only is the intactivist struggle non-violent, they are asking for the violence against baby boys to end.  She tells everyone to keep talking about it and, in time, this year will be viewed as a watershed in turning the tide against circumcision.

Saving Our Sons: Circumcision: A son's forgiveness
Dr Momma - peaceful parenting: Circumcision: A son's forgiveness
A mother had her first son circumcised because she did no research, but only did it because. She knew better when she had her second son, who remains whole and intact. When her sons noticed that they were different, she apologized to the older, circumcised son, who promptly forgave her and he was happy that his younger brother was spared the cut.
 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Intactivist Blog: Men do mind being circumcised
Recently, a man posted a picture of himself holding a sign saying, "I never asked to be circumcised. It was wrong." He is one of a growing number of men who hate being circumcised. Read more . . .

Circumcision Controversy in Germany

The big news this week the continuing saga of the circumcision controversy in Germany. Last month, a German court ruled that circumcision of a child is an illegal assault on that child's body and a human rights violation. This ruling was a result of a botched circumcision that harmed the child. As expected, religious groups attacked the court's decision, some calling it an anti-semitic decision. The German government responded to the backlash by attempting to mollify the religious groups. Recently, the German state of Berlin declared that child circumcisions could only be done by a medical practitioner, not by Jewish mohels. The controversy continues.

Throughout this recent controversy, it helps to know that many Jews do not agree with male infant circumcision. We can only hope that in time more will realize that male infant circumcision has outlived its time. We live in the 21st Century. It is time to put body modification rituals behind us and recognize the sanctity of all human life and everyones right to have a complete and whole body, free of any genital cutting.

Week in Review September 8, 2012

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, September 2, 2012

The Good Men Project: Our Bodies, Our Choices: Circumcision is Not a Joke
"My body, my choice." That is an often repeated statement by intactivists, particularly men who were circumcised and are not happy about it. This article extensively covers male infant circumcision and the many things that can go wrong from the unnecessary, elective surgery of baby boys.

The Creativity Post: The AAP Report on Circumcision: Bad Science + Bad Ethics = Bad Medicine
Without mincing words: "The new policy regarding infant circumcision from the American Academy of Pediatrics is scientifically unfounded and ethically bankrupt. It should be rescinded without delay." In the risk/benefit calculations of the policy, the AAP leaves out a critical bulk of relevant factors including the range of proven healthcare strategies like condom-use or the administration of vaccines (including an effective HPV vaccine) and antibiotics. Any rational organization would have come to a different answer if they had bothered to consider human rights and bodily integrity issues, the function of the foreskin, and the foreskin's value to the individual and his possible wishes in later life.

The Rational Animal: Motivations Behind Circumcision
People who favor circumcision often make desperate and easily refuted arguments. This post addresses many of the most fevered and emotionally driven defenses of circumcision.

Intactivists of Australasia: Despair, embarrassment, grief and survival: A personal account of the impact of infant circumcision
A man writes about his experience as a man circumcised as a baby. Thanks to the Internet, he discovered the extent of his circumcision harm (it was botched). He also learned about foreskin restoration on the Internet. By restoring his foreskin, he improved himself and his quality of life. He also has become an intactivist, fighting to keep baby boys whole because they cannot speak for themselves. Read more . . .

Sadly, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released their revised circumcision policy statement. The AAP seems to be more concerned with profits than the medical care of patients as they recommend that third parties pay for male infant circumcision. I would think that a medical organization would be more concerned with true medical benefits and risk awareness than how they should be paid for providing medical care.

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, August 26, 2012

Conscious Life News: Study: Circumcision Removes Most Sensitive Parts Of Male Anatomy, Offers Few Preventative Health Benefits
Few studies have been done to measure the male organ sensitivity. The seminal study is the Sorrells "Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis" study that found the most sensitive parts of the penis are on the foreskin, which is removed during circumcision.

Digital Journal: New Circumcision Policy "Warmed-Over Myths" - Doctors Opposing Circumcision
A press release from Doctors Opposing Circumcision criticizes the AAP circumcision policy statement for being based on debunked circumcision myths. The AAP circumcision policy seems to be a feeble attempt to bolster profits by increasing the number of unnecessary male infant circumcisions.

The WHOLE Network: AAP 2012 Circumcision Statement: The WHOLE Network Responds
The claims and basis of the AAP circumcision policy statement are ably refuted by The WHOLE Network. Their post includes references to support their reasons why the misguided AAP circumcision policy should be reversed.

ERIC - End Routine Infant Circumcision: Stimulating the Economy at the Expense of Your Son’s Foreskin
The recent push by doctors for more male infant circumcision seems to be driven by profits. The recent AAP circumcision policy admits that there are no overwhelming medical reasons to circumcise. But the policy statement suggests that insurance companies should pay for the unnecessary elective circumcision surgery. Hmm. I guess the economy is hurting doctors, too.
 

Monday, August 27, 2012

The Guardian: Male circumcision: the unkindest cut of all
A father writes of his decision to leave his son whole and intact. He will not have his son circumcised. He points out that the recent AAP circumcision policy statement uses one-sided information to push a pro-circumcision policy.

CNN Health: Why I didn't circumcise my sons
A circumcised man tells why he left his sons whole and intact. He and his wife did not circumcise their sons. He trusted that the natural penis is perfectly fine without being modified by circumcision. He did not think hygiene is an issue in modern life. He also sees no problem if his sons ever ask why his penis looks different from theirs.

Should I circumcise?: Top Five refutations for AAP "evidence" for benefits of circumcision
Five reasons why the AAP circumcision policy statement is flawed. The author points out that there is little medical evidence to support male infant circumcision. But the ethical issue is great that the elective surgery should not be performed on infants. Read more . . .

I was interviewed for an article by the Guardian, a UK website and newspaper. They even quoted me.

If the medical evidence is disputed, why is circumcision so widely accepted in the US? "I find it amazing," says Tally, a pseudonym for a 56-year-old American blogger who was circumcised at birth and is restoring his foreskin through non-surgical methods. He argues that "pecuniary gain" is one factor in its popularity in the US: circumcision typically costs $400 to $800. "I don't see the social conscience that you have in the UK or the Canadians have," says Tally. "We're driven very much by a sense of independence and profit."

Yesterday morning when I was getting ready for work I checked my e-mail messages. I had a request for an interview from Patrick Barkham, a writer for The Guardian, a UK newspaper and website. Patrick was writing an article about male infant circumcision in light of the recent revised policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics. He wanted to talk with me before his afternoon deadline. Unfortunately, afternoon in the UK is morning in the Eastern US.

I had to run some errands, but as soon as I got to my office I replied to Patrick with my thoughts on circumcision and why there is such a push in the United States to circumcise baby boys. I was surprised when I received a telephone call from him about two hours after his deadline. We spoke for about 20 minutes. Read more . . .