Europe and Scandinavia move forward in protecting all children

[SoCo Intactivists]

Great news out of Europe and Scandinavia in the past few weeks! It is looking like one of the Scandinavian countries, probably Denmark, will break the proverbial ice and ban all forms of non-therapeutic genital cutting on children regardless of the gender or ancestry of the child.

Sweden children's rights official calls for ban on infant male circumcision
Julie Deisher at 3:19 PM ET
[JURIST] Sweden's Ombudsman for Children [official website] Fredrik Malmberg called for the country to ban infant male circumcision [Dagens Nyheter op-ed, in Swedish] on Saturday, claiming the practice violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child [text]. In his editorial, Malmberg stated:

There is no health-related basis for circumcising male babies in those cases the procedure is not medically justified. The procedure is painful, irreversible and can lead to serious complications. To circumcise a child without medical reasons and without the child has consented breaks in our opinion, to the child's human rights and the basic medical and ethical principles. ...

On Oct. 3rd the Council of Europe made a resolution and recommendation to protect the human rights and bodily integrity for all children, including intersex children:
Male circumcision is a human rights violation that must be stopped say European leaders


Then the Nordic Association of Clinical Sexology released this statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE Helsinki, October 10th, 2013
The following statement on non-therapeutic circumcision of boys was
agreed upon by the presidents of the six national member organizations
of the Nordic Association for Clinical Sexology (NACS) in connection
with its annual meeting in Aalborg, Denmark, on October 3-6, 2013:

Nordic Association of Clinical Sexology:
STATEMENT ON NON-THERAPEUTIC CIRCUMCISION OF BOYS
The penile foreskin is a natural and integral part of the normal male
genitalia. The foreskin has a number of important protective and
sexual functions. It protects the penile glans against trauma and
contributes to the natural functioning of the penis during sexual
activity. Ancient historic accounts and recent scientific evidence
leave little doubt that during sexual activity the foreskin is a
functional and highly sensitive, erogenous structure, capable of
providing pleasure to its owner and his potential partners.

As clinical sexologists, we are concerned about the human rights
aspects associated with the practice of non-therapeutic circumcision
of young boys. To cut off the penile foreskin in a boy with normal,
healthy genitalia deprives him of his right to grow up and make his
own informed decision. Unless there are compelling medical reasons to
operate before a boy reaches an age and a level of maturity at which
he is capable of providing informed consent, the decision to alter the
appearance, sensitivity and functionality of the penis should be left
to its owner, thus upholding his fundamental rights to protection and
bodily integrity.

Every person's right to bodily integrity goes hand in hand with his or
her sexual autonomy. By signing this statement we support the
resolution of September 30, 2013, issued by the Nordic ombudsmen for
children, and the resolution of October 1, 2013, issued by the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in which governments
are urged to take the necessary measures to protect children's bodily
integrity with regard to non-therapeutic genital surgery.

On behalf of all six member organizations:
The Finnish Association for Sexology
The Norwegian Society for Clinical Sexology
The Danish Association for Clinical Sexology
The Swedish Association for Sexology
The Icelandic Sexology Association
The Estonian Academic Society of Sexology"

Meanwhile, Americans and to a lesser extent Canadians are still trying to figure it out, mostly on the Internet:
War of Words: Circumcision and the Internet (Huffington Post)

[Dixon]

Great news! This is an idea whose time has come. The intactivist movement is at a point now similar to where LGBTI rights were 20 years ago and where racial civil rights were 50 years ago. It'll take time, but there's no stopping us. (Of course, most of the world is way ahead of us on this issue; that's one of the things that makes me embarrassed to be an American.)