Symposia | Orgs by country | Hypospadias & intersex | Religious | Restoration

Resources and Links

Doctors Opposing Circumcision Publications

Male Infant Circumcision: A Brief Overview of the Issues
Memorandum of Evidence-Based Medicine (On the standard of care which prohibits forcible foreskin retraction)
Commentary on AAP 2012 Circumcision Policy Statement
Public Comment on the CDC Male Circumcision Recommendations of 2014
Premature Forcible Foreskin Retraction: A Memorandum of Evidence-based Medicine
Does being born a healthy male require surgical correction? [Tripanel pamphlet]Conscientious objection to the performance of non-therapeutic circumcision of children [Tripanel pamphlet] [Portrait format]
The development of retractile foreskin in the child and adolescent [Tripanel pamphlet] [Portrait format]
29 June 2020 Letter from DOC to Deborah L. Birx, M.D., regarding the World Health Organization, HIV, PEPFAR, and Circumcision

Recommended Books

A Surgical Temptation: The Demonization of the Foreskin and the Rise of Circumcision in Britain. Robert Darby, PhD; 2005. Scholarly history of circumcision including insights into the history of urology, masturbation, and male sexuality

As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl. John Colapinto; 2001. The extraordinary, tragic story of Canadian David Reimer, victim of a botched infant circumcision.

Celebrating Brit Shalom. Rebecca Wald and Lisa Braver Moss; 2015. A peaceful Jewish way to welcome baby.

Children’s Genitals Under the Knife: Social Imperatives, Secrecy and Shame. Hanny Lightfoot-Klein; 2007.

Circumcision: A History of the World’s Most Controversial Surgery. David Gollaher, PhD; 2001.

Circumcision: An American Health Fallacy. Edward Wallerstein; 1980. Excellent classic book.

Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma. Ronald Goldman, PhD; 1997. Comprehensive exploration of the unrecognized psychological and social impacts of circumcision.

Circumcision: The Painful Dilemma. Rosemary Romberg; 1985. Classic, pioneering work by a mother who came to regret circumcising her sons.

Circumcision: What Every Parent Should Know. Anne Briggs; 1985.

Circumcision Exposed. by Billy Ray Boyd; 1998. Offers insight into abolition of circumcision as a socio-political movement, including cross-cultural religious dialogue.

Covenant of Blood: Circumcision and Gender in Rabbinic Judaism. by Lawrence Hoffman, PhD; 1996.

Doctors Re-examine Circumcision. Thomas J. Ritter, MD and George C. Denniston, MD; 2001. An updated version of Say No to Circumcision, by the same authors, with an added Physician’s Guide to the Normal (Intact) Penis.

Female Circumcision and Clitoridectomy in the United States. Sarah B. Rodriguez, PhD; 2014.

Joy of Being a Boy. Elizabeth Noble, with Leo Sorger, MD; 1994. “A book to reassure the young boy and his family that to remain intact as nature intended is the best way.”

Joy of Uncircumcising! Jim Bigelow, PhD; 1994. The original comprehensive guide to foreskin restoration. Also covers circumcision history, myths, psychology, sexual pleasure, human rights.

“Lost” Causes: Agenda Vetting in Global Issue Networks and the Shaping of Human Security. Charli Carpenter; 2014. Excellent chapter explores the socio-political reasons why male infant circumcision has been kept off the international human rights agenda.

Marked in Your Flesh: Circumcision from Ancient Judea to Modern America. Leonard Glick, MD, PhD; 2006.

Normal and Abnormal Prepuce. Mohamed A Baky Fahmy, MD; 2020

Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey into Female Genital Circumcision in Africa. Hanny Lightfoot-Klein; 1989.

Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective. Ronald Goldman, PhD; 1998.

Rape of Innocence: Female genital mutilation and circumcision in the USA. by Patricia Robinett; 2010. One woman’s personal story of female genital cutting at the hands of American doctors.

Reclaiming my Birth Rights: A Mother’s Wisdom Triumphs Over the Harmful Practices of her Medical Profession. Adrienne Carmack, MD; 2014. A urologist shares her eye-opening experience as she becomes a mother, and issues of genital integrity, natural childbirth, and breastfeeding have new meaning.

Say No to Circumcision: 40 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Respect His Birthright and Keep Your Son Whole. Thomas J. Ritter, MD and George C. Denniston, MD; 1992, rev. 1996. Re-published as Doctors Re-examine Circumcision.

Sex as Nature Intended It. Kristen O’Hara and Jeffrey O’Hara; 2002. Details the many sexual functions of the male foreskin and the impact of its presence or absence on female sexuality.

The Final Cut: The Truth About Circumcision. Jonathan Meddings; 2022. Australian author and human rights advocate debunks the health, social, aesthetic, legal, religious, and moral arguments for circumcision.

The Measure of His Grief. Lisa Braver Moss; 2010. Novel about a Jewish physician who wages a campaign against infant circumcision and becomes more deeply committed to Judaism in the process.

Unspeakable Mutilations: Circumcised Men Speak Out. Lindsay R. Watson; 2014. Fifty men, of widely differing ages and walks of life, tell how circumcision has harmed them.

What Happened? Kathleen Legler; 2010. “A guide to help children understand the intact and circumcised penis.”

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Circumcision. Paul M. Fleiss, MD and Frederick M. Hodges, D.Phil; 2002. Excellent, thorough information.

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Proceedings of International Symposia on Genital Integrity

Full proceedings from the 4th through 11th International Symposia may be purchased in bound book form from Springer.com. Alternatively, customers within the U.S. and Canada may purchase bound proceedings by contacting Springer Customer Service at 1-800-777-4643; Latin America please contact Springer at +1-212-460-1500. Used copies of the proceedings books may also be found at Amazon.com.

For all other International Symposia, the programs, syllabi of abstracts, and some selected papers are available online at the links below.

1st Int’l Symposium on Circumcision, Anaheim, California, USA, 1989. Presentation papers available online.

2nd Int’l Symposium on Circumcision, San Francisco, California, USA, 1991. Selected presentation titles available online.

3rd Int’l Symposium on Circumcision, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 1994. Presentation papers available online.

4th Int’l Symposium, Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1996. ISBN 978-1-4419-3275-4
Proceedings: Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy. Denniston GC and Milos MF, eds. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 1997. Selected papers available online.

5th Int’l Symposium, Oxford University, Oxford, UK, 1998. ISBN 978-1-4757-8179-3
Proceedings: Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice. Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF, eds. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 1999. Program available online.

6th Int’l Symposium, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2000. ISBN 978-1-4419-3375-1
Proceedings: Understanding Circumcision: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Problem. Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF, eds. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publisher; 2001.

7th Int’l Symposium, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., USA, 2002. ISBN 978-1-4419-3446-8
Proceedings: Flesh and Blood: Perspectives on the Problem of Circumcision in Contemporary Society. Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF, eds. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 2004.

8th Int’l Symposium, University of Padua, Padua, Italy, 2004. ISBN 978-90-481-7225-2
Proceedings: Bodily Integrity and the Politics of Circumcision: Culture, Controversy, and Change. Denniston GC, Gallo PG, Hodges FM, Milos MF, Viviani F, eds. Springer Science; 2006.

9th Int’l Symposium, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, 2006. ISBN 978-90-481-8084-4
Proceedings: Circumcision and Human Rights. Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF, eds. Springer Science; 2009.

10th Int’l Symposium, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK, 2008. ISBN 978-90-481-9446-9
Proceedings: Genital Autonomy: Protecting Personal Choice. Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF, editors. Springer Science; 2010.

11th Int’l Symposium, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA, 2010. ISBN 978-94-007-9275-3
Proceedings: Genital Cutting: Protecting Children from Medical, Cultural, and Religious Infringements. Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF, eds. Springer Science; 2013.

12th Int’l Symposium, Helsinki, Finland, 2012. Law, Genital Autonomy and Human Rights. Podcasts of selected presentations available online.

13th Int’l Symposium, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA, 2014. Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights.

14th Int’l Symposium, Keele University, Keele, UK, 2016. Changing Global Perceptions: Child Protection and Bodily Integrity.

15th Int’l Symposium, San Francisco, CA, 2018. Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights.

Other Recommended Publications

Compendium of genital autonomy papers by medical ethicist Brian D. Earp, et al. Over 50 cross-disciplinary articles focusing on the common ground shared by the medically unnecessary genital cutting of female, male, and intersex children.

Global Survey of Circumcision Harm. Findings from a 2012 grassroots survey of circumcised men, documenting the adverse long-term outcomes from childhood circumcision. Published April 2017, in the International Journal of Human Rights.

Helsinki Declaration of the Right of Genital Autonomy. 12th International Symposium on Law, Genital Autonomy, and Children’s Rights; 2012.

Violating Children’s Rights: Harmful Practices Based on Tradition, Culture, Religion or Superstition. International NGO Council on Violence Against Children; 2012. Report to UN containing sections on both male and female genital cutting practices.

Circumcision. Extended essay against circumcision by Nobel Prize winner and Harvard biology professor, George Wald, 1975.

Evidence and Ethics on: Circumcision. From Evidence-Based Birth. By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN and Anna Bertone, MPH. July 2019.

Medically Unnecessary Genital Cutting and the Rights of the Child: Moving Toward Consensus. The Brussels Collaboration on Bodily Integrity. Am J Bioethics. 2019;19(10):17-28.

Spanish language brochures for parents.

Philippine language brochures for parents.

Organizations for Genital Autonomy

15 Square (NORM-UK)
Attorneys for the Rights of the Child
Children’s Health and Human Rights Partnership/CHHRP (Canada)
Darbon Institute (formerly Australasian Institute for Genital Autonomy)
Doctors Opposing Circumcision
Genital Autonomy – USA
Intact America
Intact Denmark
Intactiv e.V. (Germany)
International Coalition for Genital Integrity
National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC)
Nurses for the Rights of the Child
MOGiS e.V. (Germany)Organizes annual May 7 Worldwide Day of Genital Autonomy.

Other recommended resources for learning and activism

Bloodstained Men. Activism group coordinates protests against the forced circumcision of children throughout the United States.

Circumcision and the LGBTI Community. Updated brochure from long-time genital autonomy advocate, Tim Hammond.

The Circumcision Debate. An easy to understand guide to the debate about the pros and cons of circumcision.

Circumcision Decision Maker. Informative step-by-step guide for making “the decision.”

Circumcision Doctors Australia. Tells the unvarnished truth about circumcision in Australia to Australians.

Circumcision Information – Australia. Information about circumcision, foreskin care and comprehensive coverage of medical, ethical and legal aspects of male circumcision and female genital mutilation.

Circumcision Resource Center, Boston. Education, speaking, counseling by Ron Goldman, PhD.

CircWatch. “Keeping an eye on circumcision advocates.”

Intact Network. State chapters.

Intaction. East Coast activism organization.

Men Do Complain. UK activism group, giving voice to men’s objections about circumcision.

National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males (NOHARMM). Archival website with hard-to-find articles relating to human genital mutilation.

Peaceful Parenting. Comprehensive natural parenting website, excellent information on raising sons intact.

Saving Our Sons. Resources for genital autonomy activists: handouts, banners, etc.

Stop Infant Circumcision Society. Organizes annual demonstrations in Washington, DC.

Whole Network. Informational and networking site for parents and activists. List of “foreskin-friendly” doctors. State chapters.

Your Whole Baby. Reasons not to circumcise, and more. State chapters.

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Intersex and Hypospadias Resources

Hypospadias and Epispadias Association. Support and information for persons born with these anatomical variations of the penis, and their parents.

Intersex Campaign for Equality (IC4E). “Promoting human rights and equality for all intersex people through arts, education, and action.”

Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). The first organization to speak up for the rights of people born with a biological mix of sexual characteristics, including atypical genitalia.

InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. Advocates for the medical, civil, and human rights of children born with intersex traits.

Organization Intersex International (OII). Worldwide intersex advocacy organization.

Zwischengeschlecht (Intersex). Intersex rights organization in Germany. Also maintains pages in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

VIDEO: Intersexion. Grant Lahood; 2014. Intersex individuals tell their own stories of the challenges of growing up in an intersex body.

Female Genital Cutting Resources

Children’s Genitals Under the Knife: Social Imperatives, Secrecy and Shame. Hanny Lightfoot-Klein; 2007.

Female Circumcision and Clitoridectomy in the United States, Sarah B. Rodriguez PhD; 2014.

Female Genital Cutting Network. Education and networking website.

Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey into Female Genital Circumcision in Africa. Hanny Lightfoot-Klein; 1989.

Rape of Innocence: Female genital mutilation and circumcision in the USA. Patricia Robinett; 2010. One woman’s personal story of female genital cutting at the hands of American doctors.

VIDEO: Fire Eyes. Soraya Mire; 1995. The filmmaker, a survivor of the female genital mutilation, explores its socio-economic, psychological, and medical consequences.

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Religious Resources

Catholic
Catholics Against Circumcision

Christian
Little Images

Islam
Muslims’ Genitalia in the Hands of the Clergy: Religious Arguments about Male and Female Circumcision. Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh. In: Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice. Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF, eds. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 1999. Scholarly work by Islamic law expert.
Quranic Path – Circumcision. Interpretation of circumcision according to the Muslim faith with pages in English, French, Arabic, Bengali, Indonesian, and Turkish.
To Mutilate in the Name of Jehovah or Allah: Legitimization of Male and Female Circumcision. Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh; 1994. Scholarly legal article exploring ‘divinely-commanded’ genital mutilation of children. Available in French and Spanish from the author.

Judaism
Beyond the Bris. Website highlighting news and views on Jewish circumcision and the non-cutting welcome covenant known as ‘Brit Shalom’.
Brit Shalom. List of Brit Shalom celebrants in the U.S. and abroad.
Brit Shalom: An Alternative Naming Ceremony. Mark Reiss, M.D.; 2011. An introduction to the non-cutting ceremony for Jewish boys, by the founder of the Brit Shalom movement.
Celebrating Brit Shalom. Rebecca Wald and Lisa Braver Moss; 2015. A peaceful way to welcome newborn Jewish children.
Covenant of Blood: Circumcision and Gender in Rabbinic Judaism. Lawrence Hoffman, PhD; 1996.
Jewish Circumcision Resource Center, Boston.
Marked in Your Flesh: Circumcision from Ancient Judea to Modern America. Leonard Glick, MD, PhD; 2006.
Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective. Ronald Goldman, PhD; 1998.
The Measure of His Grief. Lisa Braver Moss; 2010. Novel about a Jewish physician who wages a campaign against infant circumcision and, in the process, becomes more deeply committed to Judaism.
Circumcision. Extended essay against circumcision by Jewish Nobel Prize winner and Harvard biology professor, George Wald, 1975, including analysis of circumcision as a Jewish practice.
VIDEO: Cut: Slicing through the Myths of Circumcision. Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon; 2007. An Orthodox Jewish filmmaker critically examines male circumcision through interviews with rabbis, philosophers, and scientists.
VIDEO: It’s a Boy! Victor Schonfeld; 1996. A Jewish filmmaker produced this powerful investigation of infant male circumcision in the U.K. Available also in French and German subtitled versions.

Related Advocacy Organizations

Alliance for Transforming the Lives of Children. “Supporting parents, caregivers, professionals, and policymakers in practicing the art and science of nurturing children.”

Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH). Education, advocacy, and therapeutic approaches arising from the understanding that pre- and perinatal experiences are formative for both babies and parents.

Canadian Association for Equality. Campus groups advocating gender equality for all men and women, girls and boys, focusing areas of gender that are understudied in contemporary culture.

Canadian Child Rights Council. Education and advocacy for the rights Canadian children, providing critical analysis of government policies, and monitoring compliance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Child Rights International Network (CRIN). A global research, policy, and advocacy organization grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

International NGO Council on Violence Against Children.

Simon Fraser University Advocacy for Men and Boys (British Columbia, Canada). Advocacy through speaker events, debates, workshops, public protests, petitions.

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Foreskin Restoration Resources

National Organization of Restoring Men (NORM). The original organization for information and support on foreskin restoration.

The Joy of Uncircumcising! Jim Bigelow, PhD; 1992, 1994. Comprehensive information on foreskin restoration.

VIDEO: Restoration in Focus. 2001. Comprehensive video demonstrating the process of manual foreskin restoration, materials needed, where to get them.

Click here for a comprehensive list of foreskin restoration resources.

Recommended Videos

Click here for a complete selection of videos.

Published July 2016, updated November 2023.