Circoncisione Infantile Maschile

Svezia: Pediatri contro la circoncisione per motivi religiosi

CIRCONCISIONE IN SVEZIA – Una mutilazione ingiusta, fatta su un soggetto incapace di prendere decisioni per sé stesso: con questa motivazione l’Associazione dei Pediatri svedesi si scaglia contro la circoncisione per motivi religiosi. E propone una soluzione senza mezze misure: proibirla.

Dopo lunghissime discussioni, la Svenska barnläkarföreningen (l’Associazione dei Pediatri svedesi) è arrivata a una sintesi: la circoncisione va vietata. Si tratta di un tema medico che, come ricorda il quotidiano svedese The Local, nel paese è discusso da molto tempo. Tanti i medici che la considerano un’operazione invasiva; tanti quelli che, pur non pretendendo che venga impedita, ritengono questa pratica una questione ‘eticamente complessa’. Chi deve stabilire se poterla fare o meno? È davvero solo una decisione che spetta ai genitori? I dubbi dei medici partono proprio da qui: i bambini sottoposti a circoncisione non sono soggetti in grado di prendere decisioni autonomamente. Sottoporli a questa pratica, spiega sul quotidiano Göteborgs-Posten Staffan Janson, portavoce della Svenska barnläkarföreningen, equivale a “una mutilazione su un bambino non in grado di decidere per se stesso”. Le associazioni religiose, però, la pensano in modo differente.

Urologist Renounces Infant Circumcision; Discusses Risks, Harms, & Lack Of Benefits

Dr. Snyder, former president of the Virginia Urological Society, talks about the obvious ethical problems with performing an unnecessary procedure on a child that cannot consent.

He also de-bunks the myths that newborn circumcision can stop penile cancer (the rarest of all male cancers), urinary tract infections, or HIV.

Finally, Dr. Snyder addresses the real risks associated with circumcising infants, including:

- Death, usually by bleeding or infection
- Loss of the entire penis or parts of the glans (head)
- Various healing complications such as skin bridges
- Meatal stenosis (urethral strictures), which can prevent urination and damage the kidneys
- Sexual side effects from tight erections due to so much skin being cut off

Dr. Snyder was actually surprised that non-therapeutic circumcision continues to this day, seeing as most major U.S. medical associations have made it clear since the early 1970's that newborn circumcision is not a medically indicated procedure. He concludes that, with circumcision rates plummeting in the US, circumcision will likely fall completely out of favor in the US within a generation, as happened in other circumcising countries like the UK, New Zealand, and Australia decades ago.

Doctor Discusses Circumcision Controversy



James L. Snyder, M.D., F.A.C.S., Past President of the Virginia Urological Society discusses the controversy around infant circumcision.
Warning: Medical photos of circumcision harm.


Two thoughts came to mind listening to Dr. Snyder speak:

First -- Of the thousands of US doctors who continue to perform or condone non-therapeutic circumcisions today, how many are actually giving parents honest disclosure on the harms, risks, and ethical problems of child circumcision? My hunch is that the answer is zero. Any ethical doctor capable of truthfully discussing these issues would surely have already stopped performing non-therapeutic circumcisions altogether. (All US doctors swear by the Hippocratic Oath to "First Do No Harm.")

Second -- Dr. Snyder's conclusions sound remarkably similar to the conclusions of a number of large international medical organizations: that non-therapeutic circumcision of children is harmful, risky, unnecessary (by definition), and a violation of a child's rights. Consider the conclusion of KNMG, the assocation representing over 40,000 Dutch medical professionals, from their 17-page report last year condemning circumcision:

The official viewpoint of KNMG and other related medical/scientific organisations is that non-therapeutic circumcision of male minors is a violation of children’s rights to autonomy and physical integrity. Contrary to popular belief, circumcision can cause complications – bleeding, infection, urethral stricture and panic attacks are particularly common. KNMG is therefore urging a strong policy of deterrence. KNMG is calling upon doctors to actively and insistently inform parents who are considering the procedure of the absence of medical benefits and the danger of complications.
As circumcision continues to fall out of favor in the US, I can't help but think that most intelligent, educated doctors in this country will reach the same conclusions regarding the unnecessary genital cutting of children, especially considering tomorrow's male doctors will most likely be intact.

During the transition period, I suspect that doctors who do continue to perform non-therapeutic circumcision on children will increasingly face lawsuits from both the children who are cut and the children's parents, who are so often being misled by the medical professionals they are supposed to trust.

www.barefootintactivist.com/

MEN GETTING SEXUALLY AND PHYSICALLY ABUSED .


La Circoncisione (forzata) maschile è diventata una nuova forma di abuso, di maltrattamento fisico e di molti altri che non vengono denunciati per paura di stigmatizzazione. La violenza di genere, secondo studi effettuati dal direttore esecutivo Grazia Wangechi, dice che gli uomini che passano attraverso abusi fisici e sessuali, anche nell’infanzia, scelgono di tacere per evitare lo scherno da parte dei coetanei e della società che crede che gli uomini non dovrebbero essere deboli o avere paure.

Forced male circumcision has become a new form of abuse among many others that go unreported for fear of stigmatization. The gender violence recovery center Executive director Grace Wangechi says many men gothrough physical and sexual abuse but choose keep quiet to avoid ridicule from peers and the society which believes men should not to show weakness.


GRACE WANGECHI - ABUSE

...

Monday, 30 January 2012

FONTE: http://www.the-star.co.ke/classicnews/6017...g-sexually-and-

Finnish Unitarian Leader Condemns Circumcision

Antti Pelkola, duly elected Chairman of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Finland (equivalent of President of the US society), has today clearly stated his censure of male circumcision:

Il presidente Finlandese Antti Pelkola, ha oggi chiaramente espresso il suo dissenso nei confronti della circoncisione maschile.

*As a Unitarian, I believe in naturalness and the freedom to choose as basic guidelines. As long as it has not been proven otherwise, circumcision represents not only an act against nature but a procedure not medical which encroaches on a child's right to self-determination, from which commercial advantage is obtained primarily by physicians and self-styled barbers (in the event they are paid for their work), as well as bigots who wish to identify those of the "right persuasion" on the basis of their physical appearance.

..sino a quando non ne è stato dimostrato il contrario, la circoncisione infantile rappresenta non solo un crimine contro natura, ma una procedura non medica che viola il diritto all'autodeterminazione
e alla scelta per il proprio corpo di ogni bambino, spesso eseguita da barbieri o personale non medico… …

"God, I feel, looks elsewhere.

"Hair and fingernails can be cut -- they grow back. Irreversible operations are, however, even at their most beneficial, akin to cosmetic foolery which should -- in appealing specifically to the protection of children -- be completely prohibited."

(He goes on to suggest that though a foreskin can be surgically replaced later, the risks and costs of such an operation are such that circumcision can not be justified on such a pretext alone.)

Gli Attivisti dal Mondo




Amber Craig



One of the most influential people in the intactivist movement, Amber Craig, Director of NOCIRC North Carolina, has spent the last two decades educating people about the risks and harms of circumcision. The proud mother of four beautiful children and a licensed speech therapist, Amber was involved in the creation of Intact America, and she serves on the organization's Steering Committee. At the impressionable age of 11, Amber was shocked when she learned about circumcision. It was clear to her from the beginning that it is simply wrong to cut a body part of a healthy, normal child. Amber was equally horrified 15 years later when she became pregnant with a boy and was asked by medical professionals if she wanted her son circumcised. From that day on, Amber has been committed to ending the practice of infant circumcision in this country. In addition to leading NOCIRC of North Carolina, Amber has been active in the Medicaid defunding project—focused on eliminating the use of taxpayer dollars to circumcise baby boys. She has also written several articles countering the current hysteria claiming circumcision prevents HIV/AIDS.


Leonard Glick



Leonard Glick, MD, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist with a medical degree and author of Marked in Your Flesh: Circumcision from Ancient Judea to Modern America. He is also one of the most outspoken intactivists in the movement to end the ritual cutting of baby boys.


Gillian Longley



Gillian Longley, a neonatal nurse and devoted intactivist, has been co-coordinator of the Colorado chapter of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC) since 2005, and is a member of Intact America’s Board of Health Professionals. She speaks out frequently in defense of infants and their right to genital integrity, and has discussed circumcision and the intact penis with nurses, doctors, doulas, midwives, parents, legislators, and academic audiences. Her two-part "Mother Nurse Intactivist" video, which tells the story of how she became involved in intactivism, brings a loving, empathetic voice to the plight of nurses and mothers forced to deal with this barbaric practice.


Dr. Michelle Storms



A family physician and mother of three, Dr. Michelle Storms is an outspoken proponent of genital integrity. She witnessed her first circumcision while in her residency in Milwaukee. “I was appalled,” she says. “The baby writhed and screamed while being strapped down and cut.”
In 1988, Dr. Storms stopped performing circumcisions.


Amy Callan



Amy Callan is one of the main forces behind Intact America, but she wasn't always an intactivist. Amy has been a tireless proponent of babies' rights, attending conferences, organizing fundraising campaigns, and helping drive Intact America to the forefront of the pro-intact cause. She has become the face of Intact America, and an incredible resource of information, activism, and enthusiasm. "So many people have never thought about this issue before," she says. "When I mention it to my friends, they're surprised—but as soon as they listen to what I have to say, they understand why it's such a critical issue. That's my goal, to get people talking about it and thinking about it."


Shelton Walden



Shelton Walden is a media producer, videographer, and host/producer of "Walden's Pond," a weekly radio program on health, culture and politics that's been airing on New York's WBAI/Pacifica Radio since 1989. Shelton is also a long-time intactivist, donating his time and skills to helping Intact America in its efforts to reach the public with the message that circumcision is harmful and wrong.


Martha Roth



Martha Roth, an activist and midwife from Nyack, New York, says she doesn't deliver babies; rather, she "catches them." As a firm believer that, whenever possible, babies should be born at home, Martha has helped mothers bring more than 500 babies into the world. The Journal News recently featured an article about Martha and the practice of midwifery in New York’s Hudson Valley. Martha’s non-interventionist caregiving philosophy extends to keeping infant boys intact: she's been an intactivist and supporter of Intact America from the organization’s beginnings. Both she and her husband, actor and IA Board of Advocates member Bill Irwin, are outspoken proponents of the fight to end circumcision. “We embraced circumcision in America because of gross misinformation given to parents by doctors, says Martha. “It was easy to implement, little by little, but it’s become such a part of the medical industry that it’s difficult to eradicate. Those of us who do patient care have to re-educate parents one-by-one—to persuade them that the natural male body is just fine. I am so grateful that there is an organization—Intact America—that is doing the work to educate people on a national level."

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Male circumcision
"Male Circumcision is worse"

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (nata Ayaan Hirsi Magan) (Mogadiscio, 13 novembre 1969) è una politica e scrittrice somala naturalizzata olandese, nota soprattutto per il suo impegno in favore dei diritti umani e in particolare dei diritti delle donne e dei bambini all'interno della tradizione Islamica. Ayaan ha la laurea in Scienze politiche. Il Reader's Digest l'ha nominata «Europea dell'anno». Nel 2005 la rivista statunitense "Time Magazine" l'ha inserita nell'elenco delle 100 personalità più influenti del mondo.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Male circumcision(Genital Mutilation)
"Male Circumcision Is Worse than Female Circumcision"
An honest and upfront interview that doesn't sugarcoat
the horror of Male Genital Mutilation(circumcision).



Link Diretto: www.myspace.com/video/nkolasi17/aya...worse/101677129

I medici che Circoncidono i bambini 'stanno infrangendo la legge'

I Medici inglesi hanno sostenuto che la pratica della circoncisione infantile, senza motivazioni mediche, non solo non è etica, ma deve essere considerata "illegale" e un reato contro la persona.

Earlier this month, Men do complain (MDC) and NORM-UK chairman Dr John Warren and colleagues, pictured below, delivered an open letter to the BMA arguing that 'a child who has no disease, no injury or no dangerous abnormality has no need of any type of treatment or irreversible surgery' and that to carry out it out just to please the parents 'violates the autonomy of children'.

The letter goes on to say: 'any surgery that is performed without the patient’s personal consent and without therapeutic need is clearly an assault. Any cut made without consent or therapeutic need “that breaks the continuity of the skin” is a wounding under the (Offences Against the Person) Act 1861.'

All other genital touching 'vigorously' prosecuted

Richard Dunker di MDC, ha dichiarato: 'L'attuale atteggiamento delle autorità mediche verso la circoncisione è inadeguato in un'epoca in cui i diritti individuali dei bambini sono sempre di più riconosciuti. Gli adulti hanno il dovere di curare, proteggere e la responsabilità di nutrire i loro figli, ma questo non si estende ad un potere che li autorizza alla rimozione di una parte del loro corpo, senza fini medici o terapeutici, spesso senza neppure motivazioni religiose, e quindi spetta al medico opporsi a simili mutilazioni e provvedere a un'adeguata informazione per i neo-genitori.

'E' difficile capire come proteggere i bambini dall'inutile e dannosa chirurgia genitale, che non è mai nell'interesse pubblico, quando non si permette d'agire penalmente su chi commette le Circoncisioni. '

'It is hard to see how protecting children from unnecessary genital surgery is not in the public interest when prosecutions for touching the genitals of children are vigorously pursued. In a non-therapeutic circumcision such touching is done with impunity.'

(da Intactivism News, 2011)

Zambia: Another study fails to find that foreskins increase risk of HIV

September 30, 2011

A study of the possible link between genital herpes and increased risk of HIV in Zambia did find that men with herpes were more likely to be HIV-positive, but also found that lack of circumcision did not increase the risk of HIV infection. Quite the contrary, the study found that uncircumcised men were less likely to contract HIV. In their discussion of the results, however, the authors of the study failed to mention this vital fact, and concluded by recommending that circumcision be promoted as an AIDS control strategy – thus violating the most basic principles of evidence-based medicine.

The Zambian study was conducted by researchers from the United States Centers for Disease Control – well known for its pro-circumcision agenda. They recruited 1062 male farm workers at a sugar estate in Zambia to participate in an experiment known as a prospective cohort study. The researchers were looking for a link between genital herpes (herpes simplex type-2 or HSV-2) infections and developing an infection with HIV-1. The study had two outcomes of interest.

First, they looked at factors that affect the prevalence of HIV-1 infection (whether the men were infected at the time of recruitment). Second, they measured the incidence of HIV-1 infection (new infections detected during the follow-up period). At the time of recruitment 20.7% of the men were HIV-positive. Men with a positive blood test for past herpes were five times more likely to be HIV-positive at the time recruitment. Other factors significantly associated with being HIV-positive were self-reported genital ulcers in the past year and being widowers. Rates of HIV-1 infection at the time of recruitment were the same in circumcised men and uncircumcised men (20.71% versus 20.76%). When adjusted for other factors, there was no significant association between circumcision status and HIV-1 prevalence.



The second half of the study involved following 731 participants who started off as HIV-negative and who made at least one follow-up visit. Becoming HIV-positive during the follow-up period was independently associated with a positive blood test for herpes at the beginning of the study, and 18 times more likely in men who developed a first-time HSV-2 (herpes) infection during the follow-up period. During the follow-up period uncircumcised men developed 23 infections in 5686 months of patient follow-up (4.04 per 1000 months), while circumcised men developed four infections in 817 months of follow-up (4.89 per 1000 months). This means that uncircumcised men had a slightly lower (but probably not statistically significant) risk of HIV infection. When adjusted for other factors, circumcision status made no difference to the risk of infection with HIV.

A significant weakness of the study is its reliance on self-reported circumcision status – something about which men are surprisingly uncertain. While the investigators assumed that all the HIV infections were transmitted sexually, it is also possible (even likely) that men with genital herpes would seek medical care, and in doing so placed themselves at greater risk of HIV infection through non-sterile medical treatment (iatrogenic infection) – notoriously common in the over-stretched health services of underdeveloped countries.

This is yet another study that fails to confirm the “60% reduction in risk of HIV infection” claimed for circumcision in the three famous randomized clinical trials. Such a reduction is outside the 95% confidence intervals of this and several other studies, indicating serious doubts about the clinical trials. Despite this, the researchers in the Zambia study recommend that company health centres should “promote and provide medical male circumcisions” as a part of the effort to decrease infection rates: yet their own data that shows that circumcision would either have no impact, or might even increase the risk of HIV infection. It would appear that the authors, even in light of their own negative findings, are unwilling to stray from the CDC’s pro-circumcision agenda, and thus fail to observe the basic principles of evidence-based medicine: that recommendations for treatment must follow logically and directly from the evidence. According to the data in this study, to recommend circumcision as a preventive strategy in Zambia is ideological and plainly anti-scientific.

Originally published on: www.circinfo.org/

The article is: Heffron R, Chao A, Mwinga A, Sylvester Sinyangwe S, Sinyama A, Ginwalla R, Shields M, Kafwembe M Kaetano L, Mulenga C, Kasongo W, Mukonka V, Bulterys M. High prevalent and incident HIV-1 and herpes simplex virus 2 infection among male migrant and non-migrant sugar farm workers in Zambia. Sex Transm Infect 2011; 87: 283-8.

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