The big news is the German lower court ruling that circumcising a child is a criminal assault.The court case revolved around a four-year-old Muslim boy who was circumcised at the request of his parents but was later admitted to hospital with severe bleeding. The doctor was charged and tried for grievous bodily harm but was acquitted on the grounds he had parental consent. But the court ultimately ruled to clarify the law by stating that circumcision violated a child's "fundamental right to bodily integrity" and that this right outweighed the rights of the parents.

The Local: Germany's News in English:  Religious circumcisions are crimes says court
Expatica: Berlin hospital suspends circumcisions after court ruling
Andrew Sullivan: The Dish: Cologne's Court Bans Infant Male Genital Mutilation
Intact America: German Court: A Child’s Right to Bodily Integrity Trumps Freedom of Religion and Parents’ Rights
Choose Intact: Coercion Negates Self-Determination
Choose Intact: Outrageous Outrage

Islam versus Europe: German Law Professor Threatened Over Circumcision Court Case
Holm Putzke, the German legal professor whose work formed the basis of the Cologne court's decision to ban circumcision as unlawful violence against the person, has been receiving threats since the judgment was rendered.

Sadly, I have been way too busy the past two weeks. This post is a biweekly review.

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.
 

Sunday, June 17, 2012

The WHOLE Network: How Do I Talk To My Husband About Circumcision?
You are having a baby and you want to have the circumcision discussion with your husband. This post provides help for wives that want to be well-armed with information before approaching their husband.

Intact Houston: Circumcision symposium
The University of Texas Medical Branch held a symposium on circumcision as part of its annual Pediatric Review & Update. Unfortunately, the panel discussion was lopsided by presenting primarily the pro-circumcision viewpoint. They even included a mohel on the panel for the group of doctors. Sadly, the medical symposium did not even cover the ethics of non-therapeutic surgery on children who could not consent.
 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Betty Dodson with Carlin Ross: Restoring My Foreskin to Make Sex Better For Her
Betty responds to a guy who hopes sex gets better as he continues his foreskin restoration. He is hoping that as he regrows his foreskin, he will be better able to pleasure his partner. He is concerned about his fast and furious thrusting that he employs during sex. Betty says that his thrusting style was likely learned at a young age. He can retrain himself. That is also my experience. As I restored my foreskin, I relearned how to thrust. I now use short thrusts and full penetration. We both like that much better than when I vigorously thrust with my broomstick of a penis before I started restoring.

Ending Unnecessary Male Circumcision In The UK: Baby's skull fractured in Bristol circumcision
A non-medical infant circumcision goes wrong! The baby was seriously injured during his circumcision performed by a non-medical practitioner. The parents refuse to identify the person who performed the circumcision.
 

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Dr Momma peaceful parenting: If This Stained Circumstraint Could Talk...
Saving Our Sons: If This Stained Circumstraint Could Talk...
The Circumstraint is a restraining device used to tie down a baby boy during his circumcision surgery. The lucky ones are those that are given an anesthetic and sufficient time for it to take effect. Unfortunately, far too many baby boys are being circumcised without anesthesia and without allowing sufficient time for it to take effect.
 

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Snip-its from a Lesbian Household: Toot-Sweet
A couple decides to leave their son intact by foregoing infant circumcision. They learned that there is not enough health-related evidence to support male infant circumcision. They also learned how infant circumcisions are performed and no way were they going to submit their precious baby to such a painful surgery.

Richmondmom.com: Why Circumcision Wasn’t for Us
A mom tells why she left her son whole and intact. No circumcision for her son. Although there are advocates to both sides of the circumcision question, looking at the evidence objectively informed her that male infant circumcision is not worth it.

Intact Houston: Debate with a doctor about circumcision
Excerpts from an on-line discussion with a pediatrician regarding circumcision. The doctor has no soul. He will circumcise baby boys, for no medical reason, just because the parents want to have their son be cut. He supports parents' rights to have unnecessary surgery performed on their sons.
 

Friday, June 22, 2012

Intact America: Thoughts Provoked: Haaretz, the CDC, Pediatric News, and Yahoo Answers
Georganne Chapin blogs about the excitement of reading a news report that is objective and intelligent. She reviews a recent article in Haaretz. She then points to recent news from the US CDC as a counterpoint.

The Case Against Infant Circumcision: Imagine if it was a girl?
Infant circumcision is based entirely upon sexism. Infant circumcision is the forcible removal of a portion of the sex organs of a child. For girls, it is illegal. For boys, it is considered acceptable. Sounds sexist to me.
 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Intactivists of Australasia: Cancer Council Australia refutes claims about circumcision and cancer of the penis
The Cancer Council Australia announces that male circumcision is not useful for controlling penile cancer. Penile cancer is very rare and there is no evidence that circumcision reduces the already low rate of occurrence. Penile cancer also typically occurs only in older men with a median age of diagnoses of 64.
 

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Choose Intact: Self-Ownership and Parenting Coexist
An interesting take on how a child's body is their own, not anyone else's. That means others need to keep their hands off the child and respect the child.
 

Monday, June 25, 2012

Intactivists of Australasia: He probably won’t need to get it done later: another circumcision myth busted
Countries that do not routinely circumcise their baby boys have a very low rate of male circumcision among older boys and adults. If a baby boy is left whole and intact, he will likely not need to be circumcised later.

Male Circumcision and HIV: ONE MAD MAN: Bay Area Intactivists hit a deep and emotional nerve at San Francisco Pride
This year's San Francisco Pride parade saw, for the first time in years, a single person spewing vile and hateful abuse at marching intactivists. This man's vehement shouts were puzzling to the marching intactivists.
 

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Should I Circumcise?: Top Ten Reasons Circumcision Sucks
A top ten list collected from the many reasons why parents should not circumcise their baby boys. Male circumcision sucks. It sucks even more when your parents cut off part of your sex organ before you even have a chance to use it.

Men do Complain: Bournemouth vigil
Report of an annual vigil to remind the doctors attending the British Medical Association’s Annual Representative’s Meeting (doctors’ trade union) that cutting the genitals of healthy boys who cannot give personal informed consent is profoundly unethical.

Salem-News.com: German Court: Religious Circumcision of Kids is a Crime
Another report on the German Court that ruled that child circumcision is an affront to the child's right to body and genital integrity. Many claim that religious freedom gives them the right to practice body modifications of others too young to complain.
 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Body Mind Ayurveda: Non-Circumcision Triumphs: The KEY to Male Health
There is much medical evidence to support leaving baby boys intact and whole. Circumcision is unnecessary. Cutting off part of a baby boy's sex organ is something that can be avoided.
 

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Practical Ethics: “Religion” is no excuse for mutilating your baby’s penis
A discussion of ethics and the recent German ruling making male infant circumcision illegal. Male infant circumcision is unethical. The fact that it has been practiced for a long time is no argument for continuing to cut baby boy's sex organs. Most other harmful practices that have a long history have been abandoned as we become more enlightened.

Blue Collar Atheist: German Court Grabs Parents by the Foreskin
Another blogger comes out in support of the German ruling against male infant circumcision. He points out that if any other body part were to be cut off routine like the foreskin is circumcised, people would be up in arms. But the foreskin must be magical because few seem to mind cutting of part of a baby boy's penis.
 

Friday, June 29, 2012

Torontoist: Glen Callender Brings “Foreskin Awareness” to Pride - This man would like to show you his foreskin, for the greater good
Glen Callender is on a mission. His website, CAN-FAP, promotes the foreskin and all the good things the foreskin does. Glen travels to various fairs and festivals with his Foreskin Awareness Booth where he puts on a good show to educate people about the value of the foreskin.

The Dish - Andrew Sullivan: Cologne's Court Bans Infant Male Genital Mutilation
Andrew takes another look at circumcision in view of the recent German court decision outlawing male infant circumcision as a violation of the human rights of the child.

+972: Stand up for your son: Say ‘no’ to ritual circumcision
A non-practicing Jew had his two sons circumcised. Looking back, he regrets that he had part of their sex organs cut off when they were a baby. He now recognizes that the German court decision against male infant circumcision is correct. He also recognizes that circumcision status has no bearing on Jewishness.

Haaretz: German verdict's purpose is to delay circumcision, not ban it, jurist says
Holm Putzke, a law professor at Passau University, says 'Nobody wants to ban religious circumcision in Islam and Judaism, but it should be decided by those who undergo it.' The operation does serious bodily harm and only males old enough to consent to it freely should undergo it, says Holm Putzke, law professor at Passau University in southern Germany.

Ending Unnecessary Male Circumcision In The UK: Jewish Mum speaks out against circumcision
A doctor, psychotherapist, and Jewish mother, Dr Jenny Goodman, spoke out against male infant circumcision on BBC's Woman's Hour recently. She explained that male infant circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin from the baby boy's sex organ, without his consent, and often with accompanying pain.

Ending Unnecessary Male Circumcision In The UK: British Humanists call for circumcision ban
The British Humanist Association (BHA) welcomes the German court ruling that circumcision of young boys for non-medical reasons constitutes bodily harm. The group says circumcision of children is ethically wrong, no question.

Freethought blogs: Actually, the recognition of circumcision as child abuse is a long-overdue ethical insight
The blogger very astutely asks how freedom of religion allows someone to remove body parts from another person who does not give consent? If a parent tattoos a child, they are considered criminals. But cutting off part of a baby boy's sex organ is OK?
 

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Intact News: Humanistic Judaism Increasingly Critical of Child Circumcision
A growing Jewish movement is the Humanistic Jewish movement. Bris Shalom, which is a peaceful welcoming ceremony, is practiced within the movement instead of circumcising the baby boy.