We post this image today in recognition and support of the Massachusetts MGM Bill public hearing going on this afternoon in Boston. Please let your voice be heard. As Eve Ensler says, "Until the violence stops!" - for ALL babies and children regardless of sex.
He who passively accepts evil
is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil without protesting against it
is really cooperating with it.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
The soft-minded man always fears change.
He feels security in the status quo,
and he has an almost morbid fear of the new.
For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.
~ Martin Luther King
We cannot withhold facts for fear of offending
because the importance of the information
outweighs people's right to not be challenged in their beliefs.
~ Maddy Reid
Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized.
In the first it is ridiculed,
in the second it is opposed,
in the third it is regarded as self-evident.
~Arthur Schopenhauer
is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil without protesting against it
is really cooperating with it.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
The soft-minded man always fears change.
He feels security in the status quo,
and he has an almost morbid fear of the new.
For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.
~ Martin Luther King
We cannot withhold facts for fear of offending
because the importance of the information
outweighs people's right to not be challenged in their beliefs.
~ Maddy Reid
Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized.
In the first it is ridiculed,
in the second it is opposed,
in the third it is regarded as self-evident.
~Arthur Schopenhauer
~~~~
For more information: Are You Fully Informed?
oh god this picture makes me cry :''''''(
ReplyDeleteI can't even look at this!
ReplyDeletewhat a cruel picture.
ReplyDeletewhat an awful picture :'((
ReplyDeleteI agree what an awful picture. It makes me want to sob.
ReplyDeletethis should not be a secret.
ReplyDeleteThis photo makes me so sad.
ReplyDeleteit shouldn't happen (the act, not the picture) at all...
ReplyDeletethat's what makes me sad... :'((
I agree it should not happen. But if more people saw what went on "in the back room" they might think about it more and decide to keep their sons intact. It is a disturbing picture and an even more disturbing procedure. If people look away, nothing will be done to prevent it.
ReplyDeleteI agree the photo should be shown. We learn so much about being pregnant and giving birth but circumcision is hidden away. WHY?! ask yourself that question
ReplyDeleteOooooh, the curled toes!!!! :(
ReplyDeleteI agree, Liz. still hurts to see though, we shouldn't 'hide' it, 'hiding' it does not stop it..
ReplyDeletepeople SHOULD be horrified and want to cry when seeing something like this.
ReplyDelete:*( This hurts my heart. I'm so glad I have girls so I just don't even have to think about it. I can't stand the folks who circ with the response as to why "why not?" THIS is why not. :(
ReplyDeleteDid you already read this article?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drmomma.org/2009/11/jack-black-on-circumcision.html
This picture is so tragic....and it shouldn't even BE a decision parents make, it is NOT their penis! Your religious beliefs end where another person's body begins...
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that I, because family pressure circ. my baby boy and regret it every day!! I wish I could go back to that horrible day and undo it! NEVER AGAIN!
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful circ is not commonplace in the UK, I'm always shocked and saddened that somebody would purposefully cut part of a baby's body off.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't the parents decision at all, it's not their body to abuse, and it is abuse, plain and simple.
"Your right to swing your fist stops at my face". The parents rights to practice their religion stops at abuse. If the child when they become a man decides to practice a religion that requires them to cut off parts of their body they may.
ReplyDeletethat baby's toes make me cringe. So glad I left all three of my boys intact.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Holly and Usha....if only I had done my research (stupid stupid!!!) and that is why I am glad that peaceful parenting is getting this stuff out!
ReplyDeleteVery well said, Stephanie! The horrifically disgusting things that are done in the name of religion. I hope all of you are reposting this.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's visceral reaction of negative feelings shows that the picture is doing what was intended in this context, as it should be. Everyone should be more informed on what happens during a circumcision.
ReplyDeleteWhat about ear piercing of infants?
ReplyDeleteDifference is, your children CHOOSE to have their ears pierced at a reasonable age. You dont punch holes in a babies ears.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to know whether you agree with female circ?
Ear piercing should never be done to a child either, in my opinion... But the pain felt from that is nothing compared to what those infant boys feel. And the holes can close up... you can't reverse a circ
ReplyDeleteLadies, I think the point of the photo is to just understand what is involved in a circumcision. Parents are usually standing there when baby's ears are pierced (not that this is a good comparison, but it's all we've got); typically not so when boys' penises are being cut. Make an informed decision.
ReplyDeleteYes, please make an INFORMED decision. There are absolutely zero 'benefits' to the genital cutting of infants. http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/are-you-fully-informed.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/
To hear it from several other physicians -
Dr. Sears: http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/dr-sears-statement-on-circumcision.html
Dr. Edell: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/dr-dean-edell-statement-on-circumcision.html
Dr. Northrup: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christiane-northrup/we-need-to-stop-circumcis_b_470689.html
Dr. Fleiss & Dr. Hodges: http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions-of-foreskin-purposes-of.html
This is one subject where, without question, the more educated you become, the worse it is.
I am thankful Peaceful Parenting does not fall into the groups MLK was speaking of in this quote. Continue your excellent work!
Male circumcision decreases a males sexual satisfaction as well...as does that of his partner. Many men who have been circed as adults know this to be true...and women who have been with both a circed and an intact man know there is a HUGE difference.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, my oldest was allowed to have her ears (professionally) pierced when her first menses began. We were both required to sign consent, but she said it was almost completely painless. Less painful than a tetanus vax by far.
ReplyDeleteUnless someone was circ-ed later in life, he wouldn't know sex any other way.
ReplyDeleteInfant ear piercing isn't even on the same level of abuse and mutilation that occurs to a circumcised boys penis. To compare the two, is outright foolishness. I'm not buying it, and no one else here is buying it. I'm not even going to argue the differences/similarities.
ReplyDeleteUntil someone realizes the astounding evidence against MGM (male genital mutilation) they may feel like people are "throwing their beliefs down your throat" as one woman put it. I hope everyone reads the evidence and makes a decision based on reason, and not the insanity that says piercing a babies ears is just as bad.
I know of a man who, after serving years in the military, chose to get circumcised to 'fit in.' He will be the first to admit that his sexual pleasure has never been the same.
ReplyDeleteSo yes it does ruin it for the male too! And how could this small organ contribute to all these supposed risks of infection?? Women should have an infinite amount of problems then with all the folds and creases we have down there! Sorry, that just doesn't make sense!
This makes me want to cry, too. Especially the curled toes. :(
ReplyDeleteSomeone on the FB fan page said you can 'reverse a circumcision' - YOU CAN NOT REVERSE A CIRC...you can restore, but it is in NO WAY the same as having not been circed in the first place. It is NOT just an appendage. No offense but you clearly know NOTHING about what a foreskin really is!!!
ReplyDeletewww.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org
www.sexasnatureintendedit.com
I hope more people speak up. I hate to think of the abuse and mutilation that will happen to any future sons if some continue to take a close minded attitude.
ReplyDeleteIt IS different from piercing ears. Although, I don't believe that is the parent's right to choose either. Circumcision is FAR more painful, and a permanent amputation of a substantial part of the body. Not simply punching a hole in it, amputating it! Never to be returned!
ReplyDeleteIf we did just pierce the foreskin, at least the owner would have the option to remove the piercing later in life, and the hole would heal, returning to near-normal function and appearance.
That is NOT the case with circumcision unless the owner restores their foreskin, which is considerable effort, and the nerve endings will not re-grow anyway.
Nobody is trying to throw their beliefs down your throat as long as you are not violating your son's right to his own bodily decisions by not throwing your beliefs down HIS throat (or otherwise known as his penis.)
Just as you would judge someone for abusing their children, I will judge someone for planning to abuse theirs.
ReplyDeleteThis is a hysterical issue!!! How many more infants need to be tortured before this is stopped! And Damn any religion that would torture a helpless baby in this or ANY way!
ReplyDeleteWhat peace is there with tying down your brand new PERFECT baby boy and taking part of him off?
ReplyDeleteEducate!
that article Linnea mentioned changed my entire view on circumcision.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drmomma.org/2009/11/jack-black-on-circumcision.html
My little boy was not circumcised and I ran all over the place trying to find a doctor that would do it...so then they said wait until he was 5...but we're violating the covenant I said....but I saw how comfortable he was in handling potty training vs. his friends who are circumcised....like not itching and all of that. But the covenant...ugh..but reading this I feel glad that I didn't do it...and will allow him to make his own decision...
Peaceful parenting is not doing anything to intentionally harm your child and that's why these issues are brought to our attention.
ReplyDeleteThis picture makes me sick.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I wish someone would have rammed this kind of info down my throat, because then I wouldn't have to live with the agony of knowing that I circ my boys because some idiot nurse in parenting class said it was for their own good.I wasn't with them when they had it done, but their cries still haunt me. I tell as many ppl I can not to circ there boys, this should never happen to any baby, ever.
ReplyDeleteThank you for respecting your son's right to choose, James.
ReplyDeleteJust this photo gives me a wave of nausea!
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking that. ugh.
ReplyDeleteLook at that little guy curling his toes in pain...... poor huney.
ReplyDeleteIt's sick what parents do :( this poor baby. I was thinking the same thing about how his toes are curled in pain
ReplyDeleteI hope to God the MGM Bill passes!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be awesome? It would really bring the debate out into the open.
ReplyDeleteYou know I am in deep when I was watching the Olympics and saw some guy from Norway winning the gold medal and I was just watching him on the medal stand thinking "Circumcision is illegal in Norway! That means this guy is intact."
ReplyDeleteROFLOL
What a loser. *rolling eyes at myself*
LMAO I am the same way! The other day I was watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall and during the opening scenes when he stood there naked, I didn't pay enough attention. I asked my husband "was he intact?" hahahhaha he was like ummmm you're obsessed! :)
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing, Sharon!!! I walk through the mall and see little boys an get sad because they are probably circumcised. It kills me.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, I do the same thing---I even sort of feel like I can "tell" just by looking into the child's eyes, like there is an aura of hurt there. Is that weird? It makes me feel really sad. ((hugs))
ReplyDeleteIt isn't weird AT ALL....I agree, completely!!! I think that most times I can also "tell" if a child is circ'ed...because of how they look or act. :(
ReplyDeleteYou ladies make me feel like maybe I haven't lost my marbles- knowing I'm not the only one hoping and speculating on baby boys and their intactness :) I hope more than anything this bill passes. It's huge that it's even a possibility!!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be in Boston today showing my support for this bill! I so hope this passes and I never have to have the "talk" with anyone again.
ReplyDeleteLauren - same here - I automatically notice if a baby (or man) is intact in a film and it's encouraging when they are - especially if the film is a U.S. movie circa 1970s/80s.
ReplyDeleteJen - yes, I believe you can tell in many ways - especially a newborn, in the way he relates, relaxes or tenses, how he responds when he is diaper free; especially in the way an older boy or man moves his body, or carries himself. Have you looked at Rhodes research in regards to this? Quite interesting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drmomma.org/2009/06/avoiding-cobra-pose.html
Me too Jennifer....I just couldn't be there today! :(
ReplyDeleteI attended my second son's circumcision. My husband really wanted both of our son's circumcised because he is. I make most of the decisions, so I let him make this one. During my second son's circumcision, our son's doctor left to deliver a baby while our son was strapped down and numb. He came back about 20 minutes later. I had just had a C/S and had to bend over and nurse him to comfort him. It was super bloody too. My husband attended our first son's circumcision, and said that it was really fast and no big deal. When I saw it thought it looked super painful. He bled the rest of the day. I had to put pressure on his penis with a breast milk soaked cloth to stop the bleeding. If we ever have another boy, I hope my husband will finally concede and not have him circumcised!
ReplyDeleteI was strongly against it, but my husband was not, the macho "guy in the locker room" was too much for his male ego. After the birth, I was in a near comatose state and needed several blood transfusions. I was too tired to fight, and my husband went along with it. However, the job was "botched" so now instead of being "intact" or "circumsised" my poor little boy has been permanently scarred and mutilated for the rest of his life. I wonder how my husband feels about how he will look in the locker room now. I cry every time I think about, and cringe during every diaper change.
ReplyDeleteI have shared my views with my fb friends and my wife....and people at work...and after some extremely stern looks..I think I opened some eyes. As for my Berkeley friends...where I grew up...they were like....of course you shouldn't mutilate your child....I love having grown up in Berkeley
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear stories of fathers who are so culturally blinded that they adamantly continue this abuse, I feel like they've abdicated their primary responsibility: to PROTECT their children from harm.
ReplyDeleteParenting FAIL.
My son's circumcision was really messed up. I will never have another boy of mine circumcised that is for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as though this sweet baby boy still has vernix on the bottoms of his feet. My heart breaks for the children whose parents allow circumcision to happen to them... whether it be through cluelessness, or an informed decision, it is wrong, wrong, wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud that my husband is with me on the no-circ issue. I showed him a photo from another post of a little guy's mutilated penis, and he almost threw up. Then I showed him a normal, intact little boy and he smiled. I love my husband.
ReplyDeleteThat said, we do live in Australia, and it's much less prevalent here. I'm not even sure I know anyone who's been circed or done it to their son...