I think it is worth considering the possibility that the foreskin is not a birth defect. Other than for religious purposes, circumcision is an elective procedure. It is excruciatingly painful.1It has been shown to cause physical, emotional and possibly even psychological harm to a newborn baby boy. Experts recognize it as a betrayal of the trust that an infant has in its mother and hence it may interrupt maternal-infant bonding. Scientists postulate that circumcision encodes violence into the brain at a highly susceptible moment in development.2 Finally, circumcision carries risks of infection, bleeding, damage to adjacent tissues and organs as well as the possibility of death.3,4
1. Anand KJS, Hickey PR: Pain and its effects in the human neonate and fetus. N Engl J Med 1987; 317: 1321-1326.
2. Prescott J: Genital Pain vs genital pleasure: Why the one and not the other? The Truthseeker 1989; 1 (3): 14-21.
3. Gairdner D: Fate of the foreskin. BMJ 1949: 2: 1433-1437.
4. Wallerstein E: Circumcision, the uniquely American medical enigma. Urol Clin North Am 1985; 12 (1) 123-132.
Some circumcision materials and information resources:
David Wilson, Director
321-783-6383 EST
Circumcision Reference Library
International Coalition on Genital Integrity
I.C.G.I.
Rio Cruz, Director
(831) 423-6105
DVD available from ICGI:
Including a scientific description and detailed anatomical discussion
on the prepuce (foreskin), its structure and functionality.
Marilyn Milos, Director
Phone: 415-488-9883 PST
Fax: 415-488-9660
Ronald Goldman, Ph.D.
617-523-0088
888-445-5199
Author of:
Questioning circumcision: A Jewish Perspective
and
Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma (the must-read book on circumcision)
Moshe Rothenberg, C.S.W.
Alternative Bris Support and Ceremonies
715 Ocean Parkway Apt 2K
Brooklyn NY 11230
718-859-0650 landline
347-248-6584 mobile
Moshe provides counseling services to help think through the decision to circumcise or not. Support and information for Jewish parents on alternative bris ceremonies and referrals to Brit Shalom - a non-cutting naming ceremony for newborn Jewish boys Providers. Moshe's objections to the procedure are based on religious not secular reasons. A caring and brave man.
Laura Miller, Madricha, Humanist Jewish officiant
670 Riverside Drive, Apt. 61
New York NY 10031
(212) 862-7559
Jewish Associates of CRC
Jewish Associates of CRC makes known to the Jewish community that a growing number of Jews either have not circumcised their son or would choose not to circumcise a future son. It is an opportunity for Jews who take this position to declare themselves and to be counted. A confidential list of Jews who contact the Circumcision Resource Center for this purpose is maintained.
Israeli Association Against Genital Mutilation
P.O. Box 56178, Tel Aviv 61561, Israel Tel 972-9-8949236
E-mail:avshalom@ozemail.com.au
Af-Milah - Second Thoughts on Brit Milah
The Israeli Newsletter Against Circumcision
(in Hebrew)
P.O. Box 207, Rosh-Pinah 12000, Israel Tel 972-51-979568
Website Created, Owned and Designed by Catherine Stewart-Lindley © 2013 at Homestead™
The Question of Circumcision
This page is for parents who are questioning circumcision - it provides information, support and resources in alternatives to removing the foreskin of a newborn baby boy. It also includes support and information for Jewish parents on alternative bris ceremonies and referrals to Brit Shalom - a non-cutting naming ceremony for newborn Jewish boys - practitioners.
