If you had to choose one website....

[Dar]

So, I was talking with someone at my workplace today - someone I'm friendly with but who also is on the "boss" level, while I'm clearly an underling. She is aware of female genital cutting issues and has worked for many years in Africa on AIDS issues, but really had no strong feelings about male circ. She has one son, circed, and said she let her husband decide. She's about 7 month pregnant with her second son.

I was talking about ric because of a class I assisted with, in which the instructor spent a lot of time going over the reason not to circ boys *or* girls. She seemed to have never considered circ as a big deal for boys, but was somewhat open to learning about it.

She's also really busy and probably somewhat defensive (she talked about wanting her sons to be the same).

So, does anyone have an idea for a link to send her? Something clear and powerful but more "scientific" than emotional, and something fairly brief. I figure I could allude to our conversation today and forward it to her in a low-key way... and then go from there...

TIA!

[Quirky]

http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/

[tutucrazy]

Originally Posted by Quirky

http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/

I was just going to post this.

[brant31]

Originally Posted by Dar

She seemed to have never considered circ as a big deal for boys, but was somewhat open to learning about it. She's also really busy and probably somewhat defensive (she talked about wanting her sons to be the same).

Any of the recent physician association statements from British Columbia or Australasia -- both online -- should put the issue squarely in perspective for a reasonable person. As far as websites, I personally find Circumstitions.com by far the most entertaining and comprehensive, but it's best suited for those who can see the ridiculousness in what's on offer for boys vs. girls. NOCIRC.org's page is reasonably calm and less cluttered; it makes its POV known right off the bat but backs up its position succinctly and accurately.

If your coworker is defensive, and you appeared to have picked up on the fact that she may be, then 2 simple facts shared with her will usually indicate whether she'll be receptive to visiting a website.

1. The trend in all English-speaking countries, including the USA, is decidedly away from infant circumcision over the past 30 years.

2. Routine circumcision is by no means the norm in most western/developed countries, and those that don't practice it have the best health outcomes.


I had a momentary visceral reaction to the language quoted above, so please indulge just a moment while I rant. Do many parents honestly not realize that there is not one consistent operation known as circumcision, and that every 2 or more sons are going to look different? I have to keep reminding parents that there is no dotted line to guide doctors toward a universally accepted definition of what is "foreskin" -- it's all penis, and all necessary.

When I'm in a good mood, I smile kindly and mention to mommies and daddies that circumcisions are like snowflakes -- no two are exactly alike. You might want to take this tack with your higher-up.

But when I'm fired up, my nostrils flare and I say, "There's no commonly accepted definition of a 'proper' infant circumcision. Doctors are not taught -- certainly never evaluated on -- a standardized way to lyse and sever part of the penis at birth. Two 'cut' brothers can have penises that look nothing like each other... and that's still within the range of good outcomes. G-d forbid a botch. If your boys want to know why Tommy has a dark, crooked scar and Bobby has a half-covered head and a tight peepee hole, what have you gained? You're miles better off giving one son the benefit of a whole body and the other an honest explanation of what was known when he was born."

And in case they still don't get it, I explain that this is why it's folly to cut a boy so he'll "look like" his daddy. The odds of that are extremely low, given the wide variation in instruments, technique and human physiology.

[PuppyFluffer]

I love this video.
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcisi...o/prepuce.html

[nd_deadhead]

Here's my favorite:

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