Islam and Circumcision Resources:
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My OB Said What?!? "...chewing gum for gays."
The site, My OB Said What?!?, is dedicated to collecting and sharing the (sometimes crazy but true) comments said to birthing women by doctors, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, and childbirth educators while pregnant or on their birthing day. Occasionally, nurses and others working along side OBs submit a comment that was said to them while at work. Some are laughable. Some are arrogant. Some are myths. Some are hurtful. Some are heterosexist. Some are outright appalling on so many levels:
Recommend against this OB?!
Recommend against this OB?!
The Doctors: Daytime Talk Show Disaster
Intro commentary from FreedomOSpeech:
Daytime television talk shows have never been known for giving the most reliable information to the public. A show called "The Doctors" is no exception.
I'm going to go over a segment of the show that aired on the 12th of January 2011.
The segment is about the proposed circumcision ban in San Francisco California. This bill would ban non-consensual genital cutting of minors when there is no immediate medical necessity. This bill is intended to protect minors, and does not ban medically necessary or adult consensual surgeries.
The clip begins with Dr. Drew Ordon making a horrible case for his position. Dr. Drew, you will henceforth be known as Doctor Fallacy.
Let's begin.
References
Special thanks to Sam of Gallifrey for help gathering sources and arguments. Subscribe here.
1. H. C. Bazett et al, "Depth, Distribution and Probable Identification in the Prepuce of Sensory End-Organs Concerned in Sensations of Temperature and Touch, Thermometric Conductivity," Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 27 (1932): 489-517
2. Sorrells et al. (2007). Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis. British Journal of Urology, 99(4), 864--869. http://tinyurl.com/sorrells2007bju
3. Van Howe RS, Cold CJ. Advantages and disadvantages of neonatal circumcision. JAMA 1997:278:203.
4. Klein, A. (1989). The healing power of humor. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam.
5. Cornell, DH. (2003). Frequently Asked Questions. Circumcision Center. http://www.circumcisioncenter.com/faq...
6. Detailed Guide: Penile Cancer. What Are the Key Statistics About Penile Cancer?. (2006). American Cancer Society. http://tinyurl.com/penilecancer
7. Country Comparison - HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate. (2007). Central intelligence agency. http://tinyurl.com/ciahiv
8. "Countries" Measure Demographic and Health Surveys. N.p., 2010. http://www.measuredhs.com/countries
9. MedicineNet. (2011). Male Breast Cancer. http://tinyurl.com/mbcancer
10. 18 U.S.C. § 116 : US Code - Section 116: Female genital mutilation. (CITE: 18USC116). http://tinyurl.com/usafgm
11. World Health Organization. (2009). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement. UNFPA.http://tinyurl.com/eliminatefgm
12. Taylor JR, Lockwood AP, Taylor AJ. The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision. British Journal of Urology 1996; 77: 291-295. http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/t...
13. Lakshmanan S., Prakash S. Human prepuce: Some aspects of structure and function. Indian J Surg 1980;44:134-7. http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/l...
14. Gairdner D. The fate of the foreskin: A study of circumcision. Br Med J 1949;2:1433-7.
15. Frederick Hodges, Paul Fleiss. "Nontherapeutic Circumcision Should not be Performed," American Medical News, vol. 38, no. 26 (July 17, 1995): p. 16.
16. World Health Organization. (2010). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement. World Health Organization. http://tinyurl.com/2nfjmq
17. Stang , M.J., & Snellman, L.W. (1998). Circumcision practice patterns in the United States. Pediatrics, 101(6), http://pediatrics.aappublications.org... doi: 10.1542/peds.101.6.e5
18. Hitchens schools Rabbi on issue of genital mutilation. (2009). [Web]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U93ZiR...
19. Planet Parent (season 1, episode 2). (2006). [Web]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyYhRp...
20. Fleiss, PM. (1997, March). The case against circumcision. Mothering.
21. Mark, S, Brown, MD, Cheryl, A, & Brown, RN. (1987). Circumcision Decision: Prominence of social concerns. Pediatrics, 80(2), 215-219 http://tinyurl.com/aapcosmeticcirc
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BOYS
Poem and photos © 2011 Audrey Bryk
Autumn walks with wooden swords
Slaying all the neighbors’ gourds
Keeping Mama safe from harm
From within reach of her arm.
Sailing ships in violent storms
“It’s certain death!” he informs
But before he’ll face his fears
She will wash behind his ears.
A late-night walk through a cave
He’s not scared; he’s strong, he’s brave
But when his head begins to spin
She’ll close the book, and tuck him in.
He’ll jump right out of a tree
Take a fall and skin his knee
He’ll spill no tears down his face
Until he feels his Mom’s embrace.
Boys are something to behold
Wills of iron, hearts of gold
Not invincible by far -
But born just perfect as they are.
~Audrey Bryk
Read more from Audrey Bryk:
Let Him Be
A song adaptation to the tune of The Beatles' "Let it Be"
When I find myself with circumcisers
Angry and confronting me,
I try speaking words of wisdom - let him be.
And when they speak their dark myths
While they're standing right in front of me
I try speaking words of wisdom - let him be.
Let him be, let him be.
I whisper words of wisdom - let him be.
And when the hard-hearted people
Take the time to try to see,
There's a simple answer - let him be.
For though they may be guarded,
There is still a chance that they'll agree
There's a simple answer - let him be.
Let him be, let him be,
Let him be, oh, let him be.
There's a simple answer - let him be.
And though their thoughts seem cloudy
There is still a light for all to see
Shine truth until tomorrow - let him be.
Please wake up to the sound of reason,
Mother, Father, come to see
And speak those words of wisdom - let him be.
Let him be, let him be.
There's a simple answer - let him be.
Let him be, let him be.
Yes, whisper words of wisdom, let him be...
~Sheila N. Vinson
Neonatal Circumcision [A video for heathcare professionals]
Preface: Saving Our Sons works tirelessly to end all form of violence and aggression against ALL babies and children. We share professional informational items like those on this page so that eyes are opened to the realities of current infant care, development, and treatment.
As you watch, note that the doctor states prepuce amputation is done for "cosmetic" reasons - not medical necessity. Yet he continues on to say that this surgery has been conducted in the same manner for 3,000 years. This is not true. [For more information see: Biblical Circumcision and related information on genital cutting pre-1900s North America.]
As Ben's mother is told that there are risks to circumcision, she covers her ears. The amputating physician tells her that complications from the operation are "very rare" and "knock on wood, we just don't see it." Untrue. A large number of infants who undergo circumcision surgery have post-op complications to one degree or another. And all have had the most sensitive, most erogenous, part of their penis removed forever.
As Ben starts to cry, the physician quickly asks, "Do you have any questions?" "Nope," replies Ben's mother, and the tape is stopped while Ben is strapped to the circumstraint board. When the tape begins again, the physician is satisfied that Ben's arms and legs are tied down tightly and explains that you must make sure a baby is "well restrained." Even a newborn will kick and roll and claw in a desperate attempt to avert a scalpel against his body.
This is how surgery by Gomco clamp is performed.
These stills are shared solely for educational purposes.
The penis is rubbed with alcohol which serves two purposes - it kills bacteria immediately available on the surface of the penis pre-op, and it causes an erection in an infant which makes it easier for the physician to tear and cut the prepuce (foreskin) from the glans (penis head) as the two organs are otherwise tightly fused together (like your fingernail is to your finger). Anesthesia is injected into the penis (which does nothing to numb the dorsal nerve at the base of the penis). As he begins, the physician says, "Sorry, Buddy. This is the part that everyone hates..." and continues on.
Ben's cries may haunt you. They are the desperate, urgent, pleas to be rescued from the most horrific pain imaginable - the cutting off of one's genitals. They are not typical cries of a baby in need. Parents who have viewed their son's circumcision surgery will tell you that they've never heard a cry just like this.
If you have previously witnessed circumcision surgery, this may not be for you to watch. However, if you are considering circumcision for your baby (which, in the United States is the complete amputation of the prepuce organ and frequently the frenulum) please do watch. To make a research-based decision, parents must be fully informed about what circumcision surgery entails, including all aspects of the operation, the many important functions the foreskin serves in infancy and adulthood, and intact care as well.
There are many locations to go for learning more about circumcision. Available books and websites are included on this page, or to view additional surgeries (if one is not enough) search "circumcision" on YouTube. Although the majority of parents today keep their sons intact, we still find a percentage of those choosing circumcision without being well informed. In 2011, no parent should be birthing a child without being well versed in the subject ahead of time.
Baby looks back at his mom one last time before cutting begins.
(Above) The physician has stimulated Ben, forcing an erection. This allows the prepuce to be torn easier, for the clamp or bell to be placed tightly, and for cutting to take place with a slightly reduced chance of accidental glans (head) amputation. Others have noted that this is truly the first time in a baby's life that sex (manual stimulation of the penis to cause an erection) and violence (the non-consential, painful cutting up of the penis) mix. The Gomco clamp is used on Ben. It is one of the two most commonly used circumcision clamps in the United States, the second being the Plastibell. There are some parents who are told that the Plastibell does not involve cutting. This is not true. The prepuce is still torn apart from the glans, the bell is placed on the raw glans, the prepuce is pulled up over the glans, a string (instead of metal clamp) is tied around the prepuce, and everything above the string is cut off. There is no such thing as a "blood free" or "knife free" circumcision surgery. To view a Plastibell circumcision and learn more see this page.
Ben may now face many weeks or months of "colic" (higher in babies who have endured severe pain in their post-partum days). He may show signs of infant PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) via increased episodes of fright, crying, terror, lapsing in and out of a semi-comatose state (increased drowsiness, sleep), decreased interest in eating, nursing complications, thrusting instead of suckling at his mother's breast, reflux, belly aches, and neurological changes. He is now at a heightened risk for failure to thrive and faces several weeks of post-op healing. He is more likely to face infection, meatal ulcers, post-op phimosis, fibrosis, and potential need for repeat surgery. Until his penis scars and calluses over, he faces the risk of hemorrhage, which, if it occurs, will hopefully be stopped via clamps, or heart failure and death can result. He may move his body differently than his intact peers as he grows, and will respond to vaccinations and other painful episodes with higher cortisol (stress hormone) spikes and a lower threshold for pain, even into adulthood. The odds are, unfortunately, not in his favor to walk away without any post-op complications.
The CDC reports that 68% of baby boys born in the United States in 2009 remained intact. Their parents said "no" to circumcision.
No national or international medical organization in the world recommends infant circumcision.
Additional Gomco Style Circumcision:
Violated: A Baby Boy's Point of View
© 2011 Christina King
King serves as Director of Intact Iowa
Born into a cold world, but settled into warm arms.
I snuggle at a nurturing breast and latch on.
Happy and content, I nurse and fall asleep...
Until the people in white coats come in for me.
Someone straps my legs and arms.
What are they doing? I want my mom!
I begin to whimper... Where could she be?
I'm uncomfortable - need to be held. Can't they see?
They strip me down bare. I'm now naked and cold.
I begin to wail. Everything's so out of control.
The doctor reaches toward me. For my mom, I'll be strong.
But his impersonal touch is somewhere private. And, oh, so very wrong.
The pain that soon follows is too much for me to bear.
Why is this happening, Mom? Don't you even care?
When I was first born, you called me perfect - why'd you lie?
Why aren't you here with me? Or comforting while I cry?
There is pulling and yanking and cutting and slicing.
It feels like each cell of my body they're splicing.
I scream until my voice is raw. I cry 'til tears come no more.
Red liquid is pouring from me. Blood. It pools upon the floor.
I hear the doctor say, "The circumcision's a success!"
He tells the nurse to take me back to mom so I may rest.
I don't know what that big word means, but something's surely changed.
I've got a feeling after this my body'll never be the same.
I'm back in Mom's arms again, but no longer are they safe.
She tries to nurse me at her breast, but I no longer want this place.
Circumcision: this horrible procedure that some will still condone...
I should feel safe and secure and loved - but all I feel is alone.
King serves as Director of Intact Iowa
Born into a cold world, but settled into warm arms.
I snuggle at a nurturing breast and latch on.
Happy and content, I nurse and fall asleep...
Until the people in white coats come in for me.
Someone straps my legs and arms.
What are they doing? I want my mom!
I begin to whimper... Where could she be?
I'm uncomfortable - need to be held. Can't they see?
They strip me down bare. I'm now naked and cold.
I begin to wail. Everything's so out of control.
The doctor reaches toward me. For my mom, I'll be strong.
But his impersonal touch is somewhere private. And, oh, so very wrong.
The pain that soon follows is too much for me to bear.
Why is this happening, Mom? Don't you even care?
When I was first born, you called me perfect - why'd you lie?
Why aren't you here with me? Or comforting while I cry?
There is pulling and yanking and cutting and slicing.
It feels like each cell of my body they're splicing.
I scream until my voice is raw. I cry 'til tears come no more.
Red liquid is pouring from me. Blood. It pools upon the floor.
I hear the doctor say, "The circumcision's a success!"
He tells the nurse to take me back to mom so I may rest.
I don't know what that big word means, but something's surely changed.
I've got a feeling after this my body'll never be the same.
I'm back in Mom's arms again, but no longer are they safe.
She tries to nurse me at her breast, but I no longer want this place.
Circumcision: this horrible procedure that some will still condone...
I should feel safe and secure and loved - but all I feel is alone.
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For prepuce (foreskin), intact care and circumcision information and resources see:
Should I keep my son intact?
Should I keep my son intact?
"I believe the time has come to acknowledge that the practice of routine circumcision rests on the absurd premise that the only mammal in creation born in the condition that requires immediate surgical correction is the human male." ~Thomas Szasz, M.D.
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