Ways to distribute circumcision information? - Page 2

[Night_Nurse]

Mare54, I sent you a private message.

But just know anything you say about circ or any info you can distribute helps educate people on their options!

[Polly Intactly]

Bumper stickered car? Not only the pregnant woman you have to reach - it is her brain-washed husband and both their families in most cases.
Wearing Pro-Intact shirts at the OBGYN office?  And, anywhere else (shopping, park, etc). Pro-Intact grocery bags, Pro-intact sling.
Edit your voicemail to include an Intact message and add a signature line to your email.
When/If you do a lot of walking, perhaps park your very visible bumper stickered car (or magnetic bumper signs) in an OB/GYN office parking lot (or ped)

I have created several super large "bumper sticker". 14 wide by 24 to 36 inches high. I print then laminate with clear contact shelf paper (found in the kitchen shelf liner aisle). I glued magnets on them.  And, I place them on my car whenever in parking lots.  I have permanent ones affixed to my car with carpet tape.  I wear my pro-intact shirts almost all the time, even in the gym.

I do the same as several of you - I have a handful of stickers with me everywhere I go!  I still need to get some formal cards from drmomma.org for when I happen to run into a pregnant lady.
 

If you need some ideas to download and make your own bumper stickers or posters, shirts, etc.....

all free to download!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62185301@N04

 

[mare54]

Thanks a lot everyone!  Keep those ideas coming in.  I sure wish I had this group around me in person.

[T-man's Mama]

Hi Mare,

Congrats on taking such initiative! Glad you've gotten some favorable responses. I've been wanting to do the same for a while now, but just haven't had the combination of time and energy. However, I know a lot of birth educators and midwives/doulas that I feel may be very receptive to this type of information/discussion. If you're willing to share your email message (either here, or in a PM), I would love to see how you approached the topic and get some ideas! 

[mare54]

Well the appointment was interesting.  I actually knew this person (she is a nurse and worked at a dr. office I had gone to in the past).  She said she was open to new information, but that she had no interest in "scare tactics" to influence her clients to forgo a circumcision.  I didn't realize she was in the medical community but I had actually printed out some of the DOC information and genital integrity statement to take to her.  This sparked her interest.  She explained that she was "on the fence" on the circumcision issue but was committed to providing her clients with more detailed information.  She made it clear that she felt the parents should be free to make the decision for their baby.  She even shared that she had assisted with circumcisions, and felt that she made efforts to comfort the baby and make sure it wasn't "in pain".  Her business involves hypnotherapy.  I asked her how she knew the baby wasn't in pain ...... she really couldn't answer.  Then I pointed out the discrimination of baby girls being protected by law, but NOT baby boys.  I asked her, how can it be justified to not protect both male and female babies?  She couldn't answer.  She tried to play the "penile cancer" card and the UTI card.... but when asked how rare is that kind of cancer?  She didn't know.  I asked her if baby boys had more UTI's than girls..... she didn't know.  Then I asked her if a baby girl gets a UTI, how is it treated?  She said antibiotics.  I asked her, why wouldn't a boy be treated the same?  Then I asked her if she thought performing a circ was a reasonable option for a UTI.... she had to say no.  IT went round and round for awhile, so I just kept coming back to who should decide if their body gets altered?  She continued to say the parents, so I just kept asking her..... so what if that baby boy doesn't like how his body was permanently altered?  She countered with, well a circ doesn't affect how his body functions.  I asked her, do you believe that surgically altering a baby's genitals doesn't affect its natural functioning?  She couldn't answer.  I asked her, Do you believe that nature would provide a baby boy with perfect genitals, or do you really think that altering them with surgery as a baby makes them function better?  She couldn't answer.  I showed her the card from NOCIRC that shows how much skin is amputated in a circ, and she actually said, no way is this accurate.  I said why not?  She said that much skin is not taken off in a circ..... so I asked her how much do you think is taken off then when he becomes an adult?  She got embarrassed.  Finally she said she promised to read everything, and then said her thoughts might change.  I took that as a positive!  She did promise to share the information with her clients.  I spent three hours with her!!!!!!!

[mare54]

This is the letter I sent:

Aloha

I am contacting childbirth educators in Hawaii to inquire about whether your education model includes parent education about circumcision.  I am associated with the organization NOCIRC, and I have their dvd titled, "Circumcision: Make the Informed Decision", and some of their pamphlets.  They have given permission to duplicate them for educational purposes.  I am willing to duplicate the dvd for childbirth educator professionals who believe that parents should be fully informed about this surgical procedure done on newborn baby boys, so they will be able to make an informed decision for their child.  

I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me for more information.

I also contacted "birthsource" about their circ information not including facts about the many functions of foreskin.  They emailed me back to send them a link and they would include that information.   I hope this can make a difference!

[jessjgh1]

Great work!   -Jessica

[mama24-7]

Originally Posted by mare54 
 Also, I contacted "Birthsource" about their site, because although they had some basic information about circumcision and even had a link to a video of one being performed, for expectant parents to refer to, they had NO information included about the many functions of the foreskin or any mention of it being a healthy living tissue and normal on a new baby boy.  To their credit, they said if I could send them a link of a video explaining the functions of the foreskin, they would be happy to include it.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/video/prepuce.html

hth,

sus

[Night_Nurse]

Mare54,

I think you are doing a great job and I appreciate your enthusiasm! Don't worry about the online hostility and defensiveness. You will never save all boys from routine circ. Forget about the negativity from those pregnant woman and focus on the comments you didn't hear. It's quite possible your post lead to one, two or twenty different women learning something about foreskin or at least nudging them info researching more about circ. You might have helped save a baby from circ today without even knowing it. Feel good about what you are doing!

[mare54]

Thank you so much.  I am sensitive and wasn't prepared for the shocking hostility towards a perfect stranger, just inquiring and asking a valid question.  Oh well.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

You want an honest reply?  I think joining a board simply to try to disseminate information about one issue is kind of tacky.  I hate when women do so on MDC or the other dicussion forum I frequent.  It doesn't show that you care about the people you are talking to or want to know anything about their lives, you just see them as a group to preach to. 

It's hard to believe that you were truly just researching (as you said on the site that you were) when in reality you were just trying to share information.  If sharing information was your actual intent (as you say here that it was), then just be up front about that. 

[T-man's Mama]

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” (Gandhi)

This is how I see the intactivist movement progressing. Folks are not laughing anymore, they are in fact getting really irked and extremely angry, so hopefully that means the tide is about to turn and we can one day move past this awful social injustice.

[mare54]

Originally Posted by CrunchyChristianMama 

You want an honest reply?  I think joining a board simply to try to disseminate information about one issue is kind of tacky.  I hate when women do so on MDC or the other dicussion forum I frequent.  It doesn't show that you care about the people you are talking to or want to know anything about their lives, you just see them as a group to preach to. 

It's hard to believe that you were truly just researching (as you said on the site that you were) when in reality you were just trying to share information.  If sharing information was your actual intent (as you say here that it was), then just be up front about that. 

I appreciate your perspective... But I don't agree at all. I think a discussion board is (or should be) a place where a discussion can take place!  Instead of hostile attacking, use of profanity, and just plain rudeness.  In this case, a very valid issue (circumcision) was introduced by asking questions..... and "research" was never mentioned .... and a discussion could not be facilitated due to inappropriate behavior on the part of some of the participants.  Sadly, there were some who did want to discuss the topic, but privately messaged that they were feeling that they couldn't see that happening due to a few members that were more aggressive.  What a shame!  If a discussion could have been possible, it could have provided some interesting dialogue where these moms could have evaluated what they knew and discussed new information.  It could have been a great opportunity for learning and ultimately led to possibly saving a few more baby boys.  Now that would have been wonderful!  However, the good news is that I have opened the door to at least a few moms who did want to know more and have offered them to contact me should they want more information.  So tacky?   I don't think so!  Do I care?  Absolutely.

[mare54]

Originally Posted by T-man's Mama 

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” (Gandhi)

This is how I see the intactivist movement progressing. Folks are not laughing anymore, they are in fact getting really irked and extremely angry, so hopefully that means the tide is about to turn and we can one day move past this awful social injustice.

Very insigtful!   And I DO hope that is exactly what is happening.  Anger is a symptom of someone who doesn't have the facts behind them and that is very frustrating for them, and that is exactly why they lash out and feel they have to attack.  I don't like personal attacks, I just want to share information and experiences because I believe this is where true enlightenment will come from.  When people can put aside their defensiveness, and look into their heart, then they can get to the place in their heart that they are not acknowledging .  Anger and hostility are defense mechanisms and are sometimes used to protect oneself when feeling vulnerable.  This is why I know that although some of those moms were trying to act tough, in reality they probably are not so tough.  Instead of striking back, I just have empathy for them and feel good that I stirred something within them that they can't ignore.  thank you.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Mare54-
I have removed your references to other forums. Discusing other forums for adverserial purposes can cause board wars and is not something we want to host. Also, unless you have gotten permision from the people whose responses you were quoting, that is a copyright violation.

[mare54]

sorry.... I should not have referenced the actual site, I wasn't thinking about that.  I was caught up in sharing a responses that were shocking to me and I wanted people to know exactly what the responses were. I'll be more careful in the future!

[1love4ever]

OP I love what you are doing and have wondered this myself, I too am wanting to do something similar.

I grew up a Jehovahs Witness, and they are always leaving their brochures, magazines and other literature where there are other magazines such as in laundromats, waiting rooms, bathrooms, etc.  They just take it out of their purse or pocket, start reading it, and then just set it down and leave it.  Or if no one is around then they just set it there lol.

You could also put some of them with other pamphlets in offices like WIC offices/waiting areas, at the court house, community health centers, etc.  At these places where I live, there is always a wall full of different pamphlets on things like vaccines(the "benefits" of course), womens health, etc.  I have even seen pamphlets in Walmart.  So you could just take over one of the slots with your pamphlets!  Oh now I am feeling inspired, I want to do this where I live!