NEW YORK: Intactivists confront Clinton over African circumcision: Intaction's statement

Broward Palm Beach New Times
March 5, 2013

President Clinton's Event Disrupted by Anti-Circumcision Activists

by Deirdra Funcheon

Surely, President Clinton was a little freaked out last night when in the middle of his event -- a Clinton Foundation Millennium Network talk in New York featuring the former president, Chelsea Clinton, and actor Ed Norton -- a whistle blew and a group of men stood up, held hands, and chanted, "Stop exploiting Africans; circumcision does not stop AIDS!"

The protesters were self-described "intactivists" -- those who believe that circumcision is actually a mutilation of the genitals.

Although circumcision is routinely performed on infants in the United States, it is not in other developed countries. Germans even moved to outlaw the practice last year (though Jews stopped the law on religious grounds), and it is banned in some Australian hospitals. Circumcision became widely popular as a means to prevent males from masturbating. Today's medical establishment generally supports circumcision, arguing that it has preventive effects for penile cancer and other diseases, though some studies say it leads to erectile dysfunction and other problems.

Last night's protest was led by a group called Intaction and promoted by "The Barefoot Intactivist" -- a University of Florida graduate who gives his name as Kevin and who runs barefoot to promote awareness of the anti-circumcision cause.

Protesters targeted Clinton because he has been a huge supporter of programs that seek to circumcise hundreds of thousands of African men in an attempt to slow the spread of AIDS.

Protesters say this is misguided -- that the research is flawed -- and that Africans are being used as pawns in science experiments.

Anthony Losquadro, executive director of Intaction, said that he and seven other activists had been planning the protest for a month. They each bought $100 tickets to the event, and had actually intended to put on white suits with bloodstains on the crotches before standing up, but the rows were packed too closely together to maneuver without sending the audience into a panic.

Losquadro said it was about midway through the program, when Norton was interviewing the Clintons about their foundation's initiatives, that his group interrupted. Clinton coolly said, "OK, you guys had your chance to speak, now its my turn" and "attempted engage us in a little bit of a dialogue. He mentioned the three studies in African countries that show circumcision results in a 60 percent reduction in the transmission of AIDS."

These three studies are the basis upon which millions of dollars are funneled into circumcision campaigns, though anti-circumcision activists say they research is flawed. "But it's kind of difficult to do a dialogue [about such a complicated subject] in the middle of the event," Losquadro said, "so we changed out chant to 'Condoms, no cutting' because we believe that condoms, education, and antiretrovirals are much more effective [in stopping the transmission of AIDS/HIV]. Then Chelsea Clinton interjected and said, 'The two are not mutually exclusive,' and we were escorted out of the building and the Secret Service questioned us."

Losquadro says he became an activist because "I see circumcision as the wrong thing to do to babies because they can't consent," he said. "It's just a matter of right and wrong, and we believe we're on the right side of this issue."

A statement by Intaction called African circumcision campaigns "exploitative and racist health policies," explaining:

The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Clinton Foundation, and the Gates Foundation jumped on the circumcision bandwagon to demonstrate their effectiveness to their stakeholders and their donors. However, these organizations were either misguided or blinded by their quest to increase goodwill and donations by hyping circumcision. Male circumcision is a dangerous mistake in the fight against HIV, and it endangers both men and women. Recent studies examining circumcision rates and HIV prevalence found that circumcision did not significantly the reduce rate of infection in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and America.
See the full statement by Intaction here.

HeraldOnline March 4, 2013 Human Rights Activists Demand Clinton Foundation End Exploitation Of Africans By Intaction.org BROOKLYN, N.Y., March 4, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During tonight's Clinton Foundation Millennium Network event featuring a dialogue with President Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Hollywood actor Ed Norton, protesters from the human rights organization INTACTION disrupted the show wearing bloodstained white suits to protest the exploitative and racist health policies involving the circumcision of African men.   The concept of HIV prevention through circumcision began with biased medical researchers searching for a solution to the AIDS pandemic that could be marketed to government agencies and philanthropic organizations. The research teams that could develop a marketable solution, regardless of efficacy, would be richly rewarded with grants, research money, and tenure at their institution.   The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Clinton Foundation, and the Gates Foundation jumped on the circumcision bandwagon to demonstrate their effectiveness to their stakeholders and their donors. However, these organizations were either misguided or blinded by their quest to increase goodwill and donations by hyping circumcision.   Male circumcision is a dangerous mistake in the fight against HIV, and it endangers both men and women. Recent studies examining circumcision rates and HIV prevalence found that circumcision did not significantly the reduce rate of infection in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and America.   U.S government medical authorities and U.S. academic researchers have a checkered history over human rights, ethics, and outright racism with STD experiments. From the Tuskegee experiments done to American black men to the disastrous STD experiments conducted in Guatemala, American researchers are now inflicting the same racist theories and pseudo-scientific experiments on Africans.   African men and women are being duped into the belief that circumcision offers effective protection from HIV. These organizations can tout their achievements to keep their revenue streams flowing, while poor Africans suffer from the continued spread of HIV and the trauma from the loss of their foreskins.   Further detailed information on these issues with citations can be viewed at http://www.intaction.org/circumcision-a-dangerous-mistake-for-hiv-prevention/   Video footage and photos of the event available for publication Press Contact: Anthony Losquadro Executive Director Intaction.org A 501 (c)(3) Non-profit organization 222 Varick Ave Brooklyn, NY, 11237, USA 877-CARE-103 tony@intaction.org

CANADA: Paediatricians foreshadow circumcision policy change

O Canada
March 3, 2013

Canada's pediatricians set to reveal new policy on circumcision

The Canadian Paediatric Society is preparing to revise its position on circumcision.

Canada’s pediatricians are about to update their advice on whether baby boys should be circumcised, revising their stand for the first time in 17 years.

Their review comes as new Canadian research suggests half of expectant parents would consider circumcision if they had a son — and that the single most important factor is the circumcision “status” of the father.

The Canadian Paediatric Society’s old policy, issued in 1996, opposed routine circumcision of newborns.

The new statement is expected to be more neutral.

“There isn’t going to be a ‘prescription’ for Canadian males in terms of circumcision,” society president Dr. Richard Stanwick, chief medical health officer for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, told Postmedia News.

The organization has been struggling to put forward a balanced position “that captures the risks, and the benefits, but is also respectful of personal preferences [whose?], religious issues and many other things that dictate this decision,” Stanwick said.

The issue is so loaded with emotion and controversy that the new statement has been three years in the making. “There are very strong opinions on both sides of this issue,” Stanwick said.

“We know that we’re wading into something that, no matter what we write, will not be strong enough for probably either side.”

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks, a move that provoked demonstrations by anti-circumcision activists who view the procedure as genital mutilation of newborns. [No, who view it as unethical.]

The old policy deemed circumcision medically unnecessary for the “well-being of the child.”

But after a special task force reviewed more than 1,000 studies published over the past 15 years, the American doctors’ group now says that circumcision provides protection against urinary tract infections, penile cancer and the transmission of some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

The organization isn’t recommending universal circumcision. Instead, it says the final decision should be left to parents.

Circumcision involves the surgical remove of some, or all, of the foreskin from the penis. It is one of the most common surgical procedures performed worldwide. In hospitals, the procedure is usually performed by obstetricians soon after birth.

“Clearly there has been a lot of literature around the potential role of the avoidance of infection,” Stanwick said.

“But this also has to be balanced off against the fact that this is still a surgical procedure, and it is not without risk.”

Those risks can include bleeding and hemorrhage, infection, inflammation and tightening at the end of the penis [and major complications, loss of the penis and death.]

Any shift in policy would have to ensure, “are there enough skilled professionals around to do this, so that we don’t have a complication rate that is unacceptable and so that we’re not seeing males being significantly harmed by not having the properly trained people to do it,” Stanwick said. [Not any shift, only a shift towards recommending it. Sounds like he's gearing up for a major increase, and needing to recruit!]

The new policy statement is expected to be released before the pediatric group’s annual meeting in June.

“It would be great if we had absolute answers, but on this one, I don’t think we will,” Stanwick said.

“At the end of the day . . . it will very much be influenced by dad’s status, as well as the cultural and religious issues.” [What other surgical procedures are influenced by the father's status, cultural or religious issues?]

A new study found that the circumcision rates are heavily influenced by whether or not the father is circumcised.

University of Saskatchewan researchers, in a study published in the journal Canadian Family Physician, surveyed 230 parents attending prenatal classes in Saskatoon.

Overall, half — 56 per cent — said they would consider pursuing circumcision if they had a son. In cases where the father of the expected baby was circumcised, 82 per cent were in favour of circumcision, versus 15 per cent when the father wasn’t circumcised.

According to the researchers, Canada’s current circumcision rate is 32 per cent. In the U.S., rates are increasing, to 61 per cent of men, they said. [No, it is slowly falling,and 61% is approximately the rate at which babies are being circumcised.]

ZIMBABWE: Hookers charge circumcised men more: "They take longer"

Zimdiaspora
March 2, 2013

Harare circumcised men forced to pay US$30 extra

UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended circumcision as an important new element of HIV Prevention.

As such, local health authorities have since embarked on a massive campaign encouraging men to get circumcised. The campaign has seen prominent musicians like Winky D and high profile politicians such as Mines Minister Orbert Mpofu being circumcised too.

Scientific trials have shown that male circumcision can reduce a man's risk of becoming infected with HIV during sexual intercourse by up to 60% hence the call for this campaign dubbed 'Pinda MuSmart'.

[Yet more circumcised Zimbabwean men have HIV than non-circumcised - just as they did before the circumcision campaign began:


Click to enlarge]
However, despite the health and hygienic advantages of circumcision, it has since been established that circumcision also BOOSTS revenue for a large quota of prostitutes. In a random survey conducted by this publication, siphoning information from sex workers, circumcised men pay more for sex. Revelations made by hookers operating around the Avenues, Harare's unrivalled red light district, show that prices for sex vary depending on the potential client's "circumcision status".

Their argument was that since the process of circumcision involved the removal of foreskin which contains sensory nerve receptors, that diminishes the man's sensitivity thereby increasing the period of sex sessions. An increase in time in the sex session, they argued, meant a loss of other potential clients in that period because they thrive on 'pushing volumes'.

"You see the problem with circumcised clients is they take too long to complete a single round. I might risk losing revenue from other clients and waste time on one guy for the same price, so we therefore push our charges upwards if one is circumcised," said a self proclaimed prostitute. [So it hardly "BOOSTS" their revenue, just brings it back up to par.]

Several other sex workers corroborated with her stating that there is a slight increase of US$20 to about US$30 if their client is circumcised. [So that's only $10 more.]

[Clearly the prostitutes don't believe circumcision protects them from HIV. Much more important is whether they accept sex without condoms.]

JAKARTA: Mother kills son after circumcision shrinks penis

Brisbane Times
February 28, 2013

Indonesian mum kills son over penis size

An Indonesian woman has drowned her nine-year-old son in the bath, claiming she was worried that his "small penis" would affect his prospects for the future, police say.

The 38-year-old woman from Jakarta told police her son had had a small penis prior to being circumcised, but that it appeared to shrink further after the operation, police spokesman Rikwanto told AFP. [This can happen when a tight circumcision causes a "buried penis"]

"She told police investigators that she killed him as he would have a bleak future with his small penis," Rikwanto said.

"She drowned her son in a bathtub filled with water. She then dressed him and laid him on a bed. After that, she went to a nearby police office to report her crime."

Rikwanto said the woman was fully conscious of what she had done, but police ordered a psychological test to assess her mental condition.

SPOKANE, WASH: Bloodstained man targets clinic after gung-ho Facebook post

Inlander (Spokane, Wash)
February 27, 2013

Circumcision protester targets South Hill pediatrics clinic

by Leah Sottile

At around 3 pm today, a bearded man dressed from head to toe in white clothing stood in the crosswalk at Wall and Riverside Avenue in downtown Spokane. Above his head he thrusted a sign that read "CIRCUMCISION CRUELTY TO BOYS."

But it wasn't his sign that every passing car or pedestrian was staring at. It was the giant red stain at the crotch of his pants.

The man, whose legal name is Brother K ("K stands for kind," he says), drove here from Sacramento, Calif., to lead an anti-circumcision demonstration at Grand Pediatrics, a South Hill children's clinic, tomorrow morning. Brother K, 65, says he first became aware of the Spokane clinic after seeing a Facebook post from a nurse practitioner there that read, "Did my first circumcision on Friday … watch out boys … here I come."


Brother K says that post went viral — attracting ire from anti-circumcision activists from around the globe — before it was removed.

"It’s like she’s gloating. She’s enjoying it," he says. "She has no appreciation that she’s ripping open a human penis."

Brother K says he fundamentally objects to circumcision practices — a practice that is becoming more and more controversial among new parents.

"Right now if you did to a girl what you did to a boy, it would be a major, major felony. You would go to jail."

Brother K has been part of the long-running anti-circumcision movement since the 1970s. And after seeing the Spokane nurse's post, he felt impassioned to travel here to demonstrate at the clinic tomorrow. He says the nurse's post enraged him because of "the fact that we see a woman who is preparing a lengthy career in circumcising boys."

Though Brother K was holding his sign silently and only standing in the crosswalk when the light was red, he was certainly getting attention. Drivers slowed to take photos. As we talked, a tall young man walked up and said, frankly, "I kind of agree with you!"

He says he will attend a large-scale protest of circumcision practices in late March for Genital Integrity Awareness Week. Outfits like his — all white with just a red spot at the crotch — are what he and his fellow protestors wear, he says.

For now, it looks like he and 11 others have RSVP'd to the Facebook event for tomorrow's protest.

The Inlander contacted Grand Pediatrics to speak with the nurse, who they say is currently on vacation. An office manager says she was aware of the original posting, which has since been removed. The clinic was not aware of any demonstration plans.

As we wrapped up our conversation with Brother K, a girl with pink hair walked past, muttering "your dick's red, by the way."

He shrugged her off.

"We’re gonna hold the circumcisers' feet to the fire," he says. "People are outraged."

PERTH: Couple to stand trial after trying to take girl, 1, for cutting

AAP
February 27, 2013

Parents accused of taking baby girl, 1, to Bali for 'circumcision'

A PERTH couple accused of arranging the illegal genital mutilation of their baby daughter will stand trial in the WA District Court.

The couple aged in their 40s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are alleged to have taken [no, attempted to take] their one-year-old daughter to Bali to have her circumcised.
...
Their bail was renewed and they are due to make their first appearance in the District Court on May 24.

Earlier story

BERLIN: Intersex babies need not be assigned a sex

West-Info
February 26, 2013

A victory for intersex babies in Germany

by Mattia Rosini

There has been a small revolution for intersex babies in Germany. Born with a genetic [or other] condition that means they cannot be defined exclusively as male or female, because they have characteristics of both sexes, a new law allows their gender to remain unspecified on the birth certificate. The German government unanimously approved the amendment to the law on recording personal data at birth. Previously, the baby’s parents could choose which gender would appear on the birth certificate. However, the amendment doesn’t go far enough, according to the Ethical Council of Germany. It believes that parents of intersex children need more support and that gender reassignment surgery should be avoided.