CIN CompuBulletin Circumcision Information Network Volume 1, Number 22, 8 December 1994 SUSAN POWTER SHOW, 7 DECEMBER 1994 At the beginning of the show, Susan Powter was holding a baby girl and said that they were going to discuss unnecessary procedures that are done to babies behind closed doors in hospitals. She and guest speaker Dr. Jay Gordon, pediatrician, talked about how babies should never be taken away from their mother, how many intrusive, unnecessary procedures are inflicted on infants--like sticking things in the eyes, the nostrils, the rectum, etc. (such as were done to the featured infant). Parents have a right to keep their infants in sight and to decline any procedure. Then Susan brought up the topic of circumcision. A pregnant mother named "Olga" (who had a foreign accent) lamented that when her first son was born he was left intact, but later developed an infection and a foreskin that stuck together. They were then advised to have him circumcised, which was very painful. Should this next baby be circumcised? Dr. Gordon said that nothing should be cut away from a baby's body, whether it be a foreskin or the left ear lobe. Furthermore, the reason that the boy developed problems with his foreskin was because it was prematurely retracted (by the parents or misguided doctor). It should have been left alone. Susan then jumped in and said that circumcision is a very important issue these days and that the purpose of the foreskin is to cover and protect the glans. Not only that, said Dr. Gordon, but it secretes chemicals, which protect the penis from infection. The studies which suggest that circumcision prevents disease have all been disproved and most were done by doctors who had an "axe to grind" and were searching for a reason to continue the operation, which brings in a couple of hundred dollars for a few minutes of work. Also, regardless of what anyone says to the contrary, circumcision is very painful. Finally, Susan chimed in, that when her first son was born, the doctor asked if she wanted him circumcised. "I'll make a bet with you," she told him,"you put your penis on the table, we'll put his penis on the table, and we'll both cut." Her boys are intact. KQED, PUBLIC RADIO FORUM, 1 DECEMBER 1994 At 10:00 PST, KQED (88.5FM) there was an hour-long debate on male circumcision. The guest speakers were Marilyn Milos (founder and director of NOCIRC), Dr. Edgar Schoen (NOCIRC's nemesis) Dr. Thomas Ritter (author of Say No to Circumcision!) and an ob.gyn. named Dr. Jan Herr (spelling assumed) who took a "pro-choice" stand for parents. Dr. Schoen spouted off about this study and that study "proving" the validation of circumcision as a health measure, but between Marilyn and Dr. Ritter, and especially with some of the calls coming in, he was soundly refuted. One caller from Berkeley called in to say how special and functional his foreskin is. Two other men called in to say what miserable lives they've had due to botched circumcisions. (One of those two men suggested that Dr. Schoen get a job with the tobacco industry with his slick it's-good-for you-and-isn't-dangerous stand.) One woman called to say how traumatized her baby was by circumcision and what a mistake she'd made. No studies could convince her otherwise. One gay man from San Francisco challenged Schoen "Have you ever had sex with other men? Well, I have, and the difference between circumcised and intact is profound!" One woman called in to say that sex with circumcised men was painful. Then there was the Jewish mother (and later a father) who claimed that their kids were unaffected... All in all, it was a terrific, educative debate, and it was rebroadcast at 22:00 that night. SURVIVORS OF FEMALE INCEST EMERGE SOFIE is a newsletter published to bring awareness to the fact that sexual abuse of children is also perpetrated by females. The editor has been very sensitive to the pain that circumcised men in our culture feel around the mutilation of their genitals when they were innocent children. In the July 1995 issue, SOFIE will explore genital mutilation of both sexes. They invite your personal story of how genital mutilation has adversely affected you. There is a 5 June 1995 deadline for submitting your story to SOFIE, PO Box 2794, Renton, WA 98056. Thanks to Tim Hammond. "A PIECE OF SKIN THE SIZE OF A QUARTER" Photographs of the adult male foreskin by John A. Erickon can now be ordered, for adults only. These photographs were exhibited at the Third International Symposium on Circumcision at the University of Maryland, 22-25 May 1994. Order includes the Three Zones of Penile Skin, five photographs showing the foreskin at various stages of retraction, with lines drawn where the foreskin begins on the shaft and at the mucocutaneous junction to show the amount of total penile skin--more than half--that is foreskin. Brief Text. These are, according to NOCIRC Founder and Director Marilyn Milos, RN, "Photographs that show exactly what we are trying to protect." The 33 4" x 6" color closeup photos are $30 postpaid first class (air) anywhere. Original exhibit size (8" x 12") are available by special order. John A. Erickson, 1664 Beach Blvd., #216, Dept. GA, Biloxi, MS 39531-5351.