Circumcision: An Ongoing List of Resources, Videos, Studies & Personal Stories

© 2010-2013 Guggie Daly

All links open in a new window for your convenience.


1. Basic anatomy

Learn how a real, normal penis works. NSFW.
http://www.circumstitions.com/completeman/

It's not just a dangling flap of skin. The foreskin (prepuce organ) has three zones with different functions. NSFW

http://www.foreskin.org/3zones-c.htm

Need to send someone a basic link about the functions without any penis photos? Here's a good one.

http://research.cirp.org/func1.html

2. What exactly is routine circumcision?

Here is a circumcision video that shows the administration of anesthetic. Looks like the anesthetic is painful, too!

http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DSRJdlUrd10E

Take a look at photos of all aspects of baby circumcision, including photos of the tools and circumstraints (boards) used:

http://geocities.com/painfulquestioning/unnatural

Someone put together a very in depth analysis:

http://wreckingboy.livejournal.com/318545.html

More easy to understand information at your fingertips. Photos and links for all the methods and tools:

http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/methods.html

3. Circumcision and pain

A man discusses his circumcision in this 4 minute video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLVGFF8UKzA

In this clinical trial, 11 boys were circumcised with anesthetic and 13 boys were circumcised without an anesthetic. When adrenal cortisol levels (stress hormones) were compared, the anesthetic did not reduce the levels. Circumcision hurts, and it STILL hurts even with anesthetic:

http://cpj.sagepub.com/content/25/8/412.abstract

Learn about the history of circumcision pain management, ideas behind pain and studies on pain:

http://www.cirp.org/library/pain/

No graphic photos. Learn about the response to pain from infant circumcision:

http://www.circumcision.org/response.htm

“Up to 96 percent of the babies in the United States and Canada receive no anesthesia when they are circumcised, according to a report from the University of Alberta in Edmonton.“ http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9712/23/circumcision.anesthetic/

4. Circumcision History

Historical Circumcision quotes in medical journals by doctors: http://www.sexuallymutilatedchild.org/shorthis.htm

Histories of circumcision in the USA, Australia and Britain: http://www.historyofcircumcision.net/

5. The foreskin industry

Where does your son's prepuce organ go after they cut it off him? Sometimes it's incinerated, but sometimes it's sold.

Skinmedica, recommended by Oprah, uses foreskin-derived cells: http://www.skinmedica.com/

Do you know what's in your cosmetic products?

http://voices.yahoo.com/human-foreskins-big-business-cosmetics-201840.html?cat=69

Here's another source:

http://www.alternet.org/story/47421/foreskin_face_cream_and_other_beauty_products_of_the_future

Click to add to your cart. Is your son getting paid for his body part?

http://ccr.coriell.org/Sections/Search/NHFK.aspx?Ref=NHFK&PgId=202

6. Circumcision rates

Think there's only one whole boy in the locker room?  http://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/bollinger2003/

More graphs and statistics showing that intact males are not as rare as you believe:

http://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/USA/

For our Canadian readers, circumcision rates by province:

http://www.courtchallenge.com/refs/yr99p-e.html

7. Circumcision complications

What are the consequences? Makes you wonder about our penis-obsessed culture.

http://www.circinfosite.com/29.html

Take a look at this study, which found that baby boys who were circumcised reacted with more pain than other baby boys.

http://www.sickkids.ca/aboutsickkids/newsroom/past-news/1997/study-shows-that-infants-feel-and-remember-circumcision-pain.html

This is a study published in the April 2007 issue of the British Journal of Urology, demonstrating that the five most sensitive areas of the penis are on the foreskin, and that the most sensitive area of the circumcised penis is on the scar:

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/pdf/sorrells_2007.pdf

This page discusses the complications of circumcision. People tend to only think about them in the infant stage. But what is done to the body is permanent:

http://www.circumstitions.com/Complic.html

"The lack of association between circumcision and HIV status, low levels of exclusive UIAI, and low levels of willingness to take part in circumcision research suggest circumcision is unlikely to be a feasible HIV prevention strategy for MSM in the UK. Behavior change should continue to be the focus of HIV prevention in this population."

http://www.thebody.com/content/art59310.html?wn

Here is a collection of various arguments and studies on STIs and circumcision:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/02/circumcision-increases-risk-of.html

They conclude that circumcision is not effective:

http://www.thewholenetwork.org/14/post/2011/10/us-navy-finds-that-circumcision-does-not-prevent-hiv-or-stis.html

Surgery is risky in and of itself. But don't forget that surgery occurs in hospitals, where antibiotic-resistant, aggressive bacteria hang out:

http://www.cirp.org/library/complications/scurlock1/

What is the individual risk for your baby? What are the unknown, underlying issues that could be pushed to the limit with unnecessary surgery after birth?

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1464-4096.2001.02416.x/abstract

"The medical literature does not support the claim that circumcision reduces the risk for genital HPV infection. To correctly assess the risk of HPV infection in circumcised males, the penile shaft needs to be sampled for HPV infection."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16997378&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus

Circumcisions preventing UTIs...even if they did, whatever happened to a good ole shower and antibiotics (or natural remedies)?

http://www.circumstitions.com/Utis.html

With source links for those people who want to know:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-many-babies-must-die-from.html

8. Circumcision myths

Short and to the point:

http://mamanatural.com/circumcision-myths-and-facts/

Excellent for more professional sharing:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/more-circumcision-myths-you-may-believe-hygiene-and-stds

Another myth list:

http://www.examiner.com/article/most-common-circumcision-myths

10 common myths:

http://www.nocircpa.org/4642.html

Like father, like son? What comes next, a nose job? Hair dye? Tattoos?

http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/Like-Son.htm

Do you demand more from your newborn?

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/newborns-are-stronger-than-adults-its.html

9. Circumcision and UTIS/STIS

Cultural Bias and the Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Circumcision Controversy:

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/UTI/altschul/

Circumcision makes a baby boy 12 times more likely to get a MRSA infection:                                                     http://www.nocirc.org/publish/12-AnswersMRSA.pdf

How circumcision can CAUSE UTIs:

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/UTI/

Breastfeeding and urinary tract infection:

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/UTI/pisacane/

Gee, imagine that! The foreskin helps to fight germs!

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/STD/fleiss3/

Think twice before you promote circumcision to stop HIV:

http://www.intactamerica.org/dangerousmistake

Dr. Dean Edell discusses myths about AIDS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlsUg0sdAtE&feature=youtu.be

Ok, ok, you admit that circumcision won't STOP the HIV issue. But have you thought about how circumcision might INCREASE the HIV issue?

http://www.publichealthinafrica.org/index.php/jphia/article/view/jphia.2011.e4/html_9?mid=54866

Oh, the irony! Scientists learn that the "barrier to HIV" is in the foreskin! Gee, imagine that! The "barrier" around the penis is an actual barrier! I mean, we couldn't look at the foreskin and guess such a thing!

http://news.healingwell.com/index.php?p=news1&id=602421&ei=N-sFUN3GG8mK2gWq4624BQ&usg=AFQjCNHOrnU4KRTdG8xnhQjumNiQ_pjpvQ

Check out the flaws in these studies...about as bad as the vaccine studies!

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december112011/circumcision-hiv-rg.php

Circumcised Children are More Likely to have HIV:

http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/2206

Browse around on here to learn about complications:

http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/complications.html

Your baby is born healthy, typical, whole. Congratulations. Now, why???

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/169/3/216.full

"Circumcision prevents cancer." Except when cancer appears ON the circumcision scars:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=3944860

The tumors involved the prepuce (n = 1), prepuce and distal shaft (n = 1), circumcision scar line (n = 2), circumcision scar line and distal shaft: http://journals.lww.com/ajsp/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2004&issue=01000&article=00014&type=abstract

The American Cancer Society releases a letter opposing the use of Penile Cancer as a reason for routine infant circumcision:

http://www.cirp.org/library/statements/letters/1996-02_ACS/

10. Circumcision and sexual dysfunction

Sex is just fine. Or is it?

http://www.boystoo.com/medical/conversion.htm

What if it was right in front of you and you never connected it?

http://womenarevictimstoo.blogspot.com/

Faux foreskins:

http://senslip.com/index.php

Parents ask: how much does circumcision cost me? Maybe they should ask how much it costs for him:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/03/cost-of-circumcision.html

Circumcision Not Cost Effective:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prweb180294.htm

11. Circumcision interfering with birth, breastfeeding and bonding

After birth is already a difficult time for American families. What does circumcision do?

http://www.cirp.org/library/birth/

Did you know? Amputating a part of your baby's body after birth might disrupt the breastfeeding relationship:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/01/circumcision-disrupts-breastfeeding-and.html

12. Male and female circumcision

If it's good enough for baby boys, why not girls? Why do you freak out about good, loving moms making a personal choice for their girls?

http://www.mummysg.com/forums/f40/have-you-sunat-your-girls-29826/

But, but, but! Female circumcision is way worse!

http://www.circumstitions.com/FGMvsMGM.html

This is Soroya Mire, a VICTIM of FGM, speaking out against MGM:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggqa6CCTR-4

This is Ayaan hirsi Ali, a VICTIM of FGM, who equates both FGM and MGM as violations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFNhM-F089E

Actually, some people would. I always cringe when making this comparison. For the real thinkers out there, though, here:

http://womanuncensored.blogspot.com/2009/12/would-you-circumcise-your-daughter.html

Take a look at the previous AAP policy for boys compared to girls:

http://www.circumstitions.com/AAP.html

An FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) researcher compares MGM (Male Genital Mutilation) cultural justifications:

http://www.fgmnetwork.org/intro/mgmfgm.html

So you think you're so civilized, so genteel and educated? You think cutting your baby boy is so much better than those who cut girls?

http://www.noharmm.org/comparison.htm

A deeper read on FGM and MGM practices:

http://www.nocirc.org/symposia/third/hanny3.html

13. Circumcision and the law

Although baby boy circumcision is already illegal under medical practice/parental consent laws, an additional, clear ban can help stop circumcision:

http://www.mgmbill.org/

Did you know? Forcing medically unnecessary circumcision onto someone is illegal:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2010/07/infant-male-amputation-of-prepuce-is.html

Legal assistance for those who were forcefully circumcised:

http://arclaw.org/

Legal assistance if your son was assaulted:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/01/if-someone-retracted-your-sons-foreskin.html

The first cut is the deepest:

http://www.drcat.org/articles_interviews/html/firstcut.html

Victims of forced circumcision have rights in our legal system:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2002/06/prweb41148.htm

This legal form helps dispel the ignorance medical professionals have about foreskin:

http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/care.htm

14. Circumcision and the medical authorities

A summary of worldwide Medical association position papers: http://www.nocirc.org/position/

The Finnish Medical Association feels that no law authorising circumcisions should be passed, and that public health care should not be obliged to perform the procedures. This view is echoed by Harry Lindahl, thinks that non-medical circumcisions for underage boys should be illegal. “I think that it would be fine to wait until a boy turns 18, when he can decide for himself”, Lindahl notes.

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Legislation%20on%20circumcision%20stalled/1135256085478

Guess what? DOCTORS oppose baby circumcision, too. So much in fact that they wrote a 64 page document on it:

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/pdf/GenitalIntegrityStatement.pdf

Not all doctors are ethical, or up to date. Here's a book for learning more: (Link is NOT monetized)

http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Doctor-About-Circumcision/dp/0446678805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348165068&sr=1-1&keywords=what+your+doctor+may+not+tell+you+about+circumcision

Dr. Sears, attachment parenting guru, weighs in on circumcision:

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/pregnancy-childbirth/whether-or-not-circumcise

Another source for policy statements from medical authorities:

http://www.cirp.org/library/statements/

People accusing you of being biased?

http://www.circumcision.org/studies.htm

Ever notice how in every circumcision (or vaccine) debate, someone chimes in claiming to be a nurse who has worked for 25 million years and is absolutely sure that circumcision (or vaccines) are safe? That nurse doesn't speak for all nurses:

http://childrightsnurses.org/

Just a big page of links:

http://www.icgi.org/birth_care_providers.htm

Is it ethical to force surgery onto someone without his permission, and without a life threatening medical issue?

http://www.cirp.org/library/ethics/

Canadian resource:

http://www.canadiancrc.com/Circumcision_Genital_Mutilation_Male-Female_Children.aspx

15. Intact (uncircumcised) care

“The foreskin is easy to care for. The infant should be bathed or sponged frequently, and all parts should be washed including the genitals. The uncircumcised penis is easy to keep clean. No special care is required! No attempt should be made to forcibly retract the foreskin. No manipulation is necessary. There is no need for special cleansing with Q-tips, irrigation, or antiseptics; soap and water externally will suffice.”

http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/aap/

A quick list of links for intact care:

http://www.guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2012/01/quick-list-for-intact-care.html

An intact slideshow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbgBSQ9jxlE&feature=share&list=UUQzCce_0-krF_KQaO-veZtA

An intact slideshow to a happy beat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp8PbVBRwgU&feature=share&list=UUQzCce_0-krF_KQaO-veZtA

16. Circumcision and religionFacebook groups:
Christians Must Not Circumcise:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christians-Must-Not-Circumcise/159872514066245 

Catholics Against Circumcision:
http://www.facebook.com/CatholicsAgainstCircumcision
http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision.org/ 

Muslims against circumcision:
http://www.facebook.com/muslimsagainstcirc

What I have compiled on my blog:
http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/01/circumcision-and-religion-condensed.html includes links for Muslims and Mormons, too.

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/09/jewish-intactivism.html

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/06/torah-against-genital-mutilation.html

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/catholic-thoughts-on-whole-body-and.html

This one is titled for Catholics, but contains Biblical passages:
http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2010/07/catholics-and-circumcisiondo-you-know.html

This one is particularly popular:
http://www.udonet.com/circumcision/christian.html

17. Personal testimonies

Perhaps the deepest issue of all when it comes to violations is the way they force the violated person to shoulder the blame, shame, insecurity and fear:

http://www.udonet.com/circumcision/vincent/vulnerability_of_men.html

If you regret circumcising your sons, please post here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=112410

A woman shares her journey of pregnancy and birthing a son with a pro-cutting husband: http://www.hobomama.com/2010/04/intact-circumcision-journey.html

A crunchy mama dives into the research:

http://crunchydomesticgoddess.blogspot.com/2006/11/circumcision-post_06.html

A circumcised man talks about becoming a real man:

http://josh.bakehorn.net/circ.html

James talks about what he felt when he first figured it out:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2012/07/confessions-of-circumcised-teen.html

Guggie's teen brother shares his shock after watching a circumcision video:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/02/confession-of-intact-teen.html

The post that started the Circumcision Confession series:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/01/confessions-of-circumcised-man.html?spref=bl

Guggie's husband shares his story:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/01/confessions-of-circumcised-son.html

Searching for answers:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2012/02/confessions-of-mom-who-circumcised-and.html

Here's food for thought!

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/04/confessions-of-circumcised-baby.html

A heartwrenching story:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-only.html

Why do we recoil? Why so much shaking, crying, and shock for this person? Why not for the millions of her brothers who have gone before her and the millions who will continue to stand in front of their mirrors and wonder?

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/01/confessions-of-circumcised-woman.html

18. Healing and forgiving 

A slideshow about regret:

http://youtu.be/0HoZFzaBJZw

One of my favorites, from Sanfis over at CircumcisedFathers, Intact Sons:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/you-are-more.html

A reminder to be gentle as you share these links and spark interest:

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/gentle-reminder-when-discussing.html

Here is the photo album on circumcision:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.262882943777506.60268.146559382076530&type=3