Circumcision - When we know better, we do better

*Not ONE world health or medical organization recommends infant circumcision (the KNMG (dutch medical association) is moving to ban it for ethical/medical reasons) * 85% of the world's men are intact * The majority of baby boys in the U.S. are now intact. 2009 CDC stats show 68% of babies were brought home whole. This stat also includes circumcisions done in hospital for the first year. It also includes circumcisions covered by insurance in doctors offices. Critics of this state that only 56% of parents brought their babies home whole that year. Either way, the numbers are dropping dramatically and by 2014 intact babies will be the majority. Here is an article in response to the critics of the former statistic. http://www.drmomma.org/2011/09/32-of-us-baby-boys-circumcised-in-2009.html * Circumcision does not provide you immunity to diseases * Circumcision does not prevent STD's/HIV * Circumcision is not cleaner or healthier in any way (the intact penis protects itself against infection) * You are not more likely to obtain a UTI from being intact-this is a MYTH * Circumcision DOES effect sexual relations-everything from numbing, painful erections, to ED and more * Circumcision DOES have negative psychological impacts * Circumcision DOES hurt a lot whether you are a baby or a grown man. It hurts MORE in an infant because infants feel pain more acutely than adults and aren't given the same amount of anesthesia or post-operative care because it's dangerous to do so in newborns. * Your baby didn't "sleep" through the procedure. Babies who are quiet or "sleep", MRI studies show that they have gone into neurological shock. Permanent brain damage occurs. *Circumcision is not just a little snip of skin. It is permanantly amputating between 20-70 thousand fine-touch nerve endings resulting in permanent damage. This is compared to 8,000 nerve endings in the clitoris. * Female Genital Mutilation and Male Genital Mutilation (circumcision included) are comparable. The forced cutting of a minor without consent is the same regardless of gender. Explanation in a nutshell - http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D98f3IavuEgQ * The American Cancer Society does NOT approve circumcision as a way to prevent penile cancer and even goes so far as to say that this is an irresponsible statement. * Circumcision goes against ALL medical bio-ethics of a non-theraputic surgery of a minor. It also goes against a doctors oath to FIRST DO NO HARM * There is a rapidly growing number of doctors and nurses who oppose circumcision in the U.S. and worldwide. * Most "intactavists" are parents who regret circumcising their sons. There are hundreds of parents who have both circumcised and intact sons. "I did then what I knew how, now that I know better, I do better"-Maya Angelou *There is a facebook group called "Keeping future Sons Intact" where you can find support *Lastly, the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do is PROTECT your intact son from harm. Malpractice with regards to the male anatomy is an epidemic in this country. Doctors didn't learn about the normal, male anatomy in pregraduate anatomy courses, nursing school, or medical school. They have no idea how to care for an intact, natural, male penis. They forcibly retract hundreds of thousands of babies/children each year and cause many problems! This is why you hear stories like "I know of a guy who had to have it done later because of infections." This is because a doctor/caregiver most likely forcibly retracted him causing permanent damage. See the section of these notes titled "Intact care and protect your intact son" for further information. *1% of boys will be told to get circumcised later on in life for whatever reason in the U.S. This number is much lower for boys who have not been forcibly retracted. In Finland, where circumcision is virtually unheard of, the circumcision rate in adult males for medical reasons is 1 in 16,667. An extremely rare chance of needing circumcision for medical reasons later on in life is NOT a valid excuse for circumcising the other 99 babies. Amputating healthy, functioning body parts is not a form of modern preventative medicine. *Circumcising for religious reasons is moot. Religion ends at another person's body. What about his religious freedom?