URGENT - Contact the AAP

[Ron_Low]

The American Academy of Pediatrics is said to be revisiting their policy on infant circumcision. The 1999 policy puts it that there are some possible medical plusses to circumcising, but that they don't outweigh the known risks and drawbacks, or warrant routine circumcision. Nonetheless, they sum up that parents should weigh cultural factors when deciding about circumcising their sons. This part blows my mind since it's not even a medical opinion.

Their policy is followed by other agencies like the American Medical Association, and it has a big impact on whether insurers can get away with not covering the infant procedure.

I'd like you to write to the AAP policy task force and remind them that their new policy needs to reflect human rights, the immense value of intact genitals, and the fact that babies aren't at risk for STDs.

Feel free to include info about how you or a loved one being circumcised as an infant has affected you.

Dr. Susan Blank, Chair - Circumcision Policy Task Force
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
USA
847 434-4000

[TCA2008]

Dr. Blank works at the NYC Health Department, there is a better address for her and for the other important people on the circumcision task force and also the key people at the CDC. Those addresses can all be found here:

http://www.circumcisionandhiv.com/the-aap-project.html

[Night_Nurse]

Bumping...

[jessjgh1]

Does anyone know more about individuals on the task force?
Which ones are allies? Which ones are more neutral?

What's going to be the most compelling and convincing reason for them to consider our point of view?

I am assuming they are rallying around the 'logic' that circumcision prevents HIV and other STD's... thus aligning the procedure more with 'preventative' health (like vaccines, etc.)
What's the most compellign arguement here... (again, the one that will be most compelling to THEM, not to us)

That the US's rates of high circumcision and high STD/HIV rates show flaws in thinking/research etc
That circumcision should be a choice when the person is old enough to be making choices about sexuality
Others...

I'd love to craft my own letter around someone's sample.... I have a hard time starting from scratch... I'm sure others would appreciate a draft to start with, too..

Jessica

[Pirogi]

The link from TCA has a sample letter to start from.

Ron_Low, would you mind if I submit your post to a midwifery student email list I am on?

[georgia]

Moving to Activism since this is an actionable request

[MommytoB]

I have heard that Dr. Maestro was more Pro-circish if we can change some Pro-circ views -how could we change his View.

Since he's a Man -he should hear from men with problems with their circumcision, wives complaint of dtd but got better after their hubby/bf restored, also doctors/nurses along with attorneys who have seen the witness of circumcision damage like bleeding afterwards, more than one time meatal stenosis, spending a life time with a issue caused by circumcision.

We also need to share by a mom's experience that many doctors are unneccessarily prescribing antibiotics for seperation trauma of the foreskin - hence swollen inflamed foreskin -varying pain-issues with peeing, varying of smegma(smegma is usually refered to as pus ) so pain with peeing may assume the kid has a "uti' but micro tears make it burn under there called urine burns(girls get those too), swollen inflamed foreskin with pain is referred to as balantitis and if there is smegma which doctors assume is pus they will consider it bacterial balantitis.

We need to make sure they get their knowledge up to straight to fact on Seperation trauma vs balantitis /foreskin infection .

To an actual foreskin infection and how mom's treated it etc.

Also, if any mom's have had girls share if their dd ever had any outer labia infection and describe it -the symptoms- the treatment



Also lets not forget to add the regretful mom's who are upset and angry that will hit the center point because they learned after the fact on a "cultural basis'.

Maybe circ'ed males who have had issues should send in pictures of "References' .

Also, maybe some intact males should say hey Look at all My Veins I have in my foreskin- to show the committe the foreskin is Not a bunch of dead cells ya know ?

Add the Picture of the Elastiticity -stretching-widening of opening - just a penis picture ya know and send it to them.

[tutucrazy]

bump