This is an email that was forwarded to me from Ron Phillips (coordinator of NORM-SoCal in Los Angeles, CA). It's an email that comes from Ron Low (TLC Tugger). I've carefully read it and have signed the petition. I urge you to read it carefully and sign if you agree. Check it out...

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Hi,
It's Ron from TLC.  I beg your indulgence for this rare intrusion.  I need your help.

All you need to do for me is click the link below and respond to the petition.  Just type a few words about how you feel having been circumcised (if you were) or about an infant's right to decide about non-therapeutic amputations of his body parts.  Even if you are outside the US, the AAP needs to hear what you think about male genital mutilation.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=lVhWxgDiL29tUNM4Pe5KNJ9j3S/KNRqr

or http://tinyurl.com/yg9mwe3

It's important that the AAP hear from large numbers of people and not just a few familiar names.

Background:

At this moment the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has convened a task force to evaluate male circumcision and review the AAP's official policy statement.  Presently AAP policy says the evidence does not warrant routine infant circumcision.  Therefore many state medicaid plans and insurance policies do not cover infant circumcision.  I think this is as it should be.  In fact I'm disappointed that AAP policy does not roundly condemn the amputation of exquisite pleasure-receptive body parts from healthy normal infants.  If their policy becomes any less negative on circumcision, more infants will be needlessly harmed and enacting legislation to give boys the protection that girls now enjoy will be impossible.

The members of the AAP task force have hinted that a new policy will reflect recent findings from African research involving HIV transmission and adult males who sought to be circumcised.  The studies showed that the men were less somewhat likely to contract HIV if they were circumcised.  However, the studies failed to control for important factors including the cut mens post-surgical period of abstinence, the mens' attitudes toward circumcision as a coming-of-age ritual, and the local cultural views towards men who had been cut as responsible adults.

The studies also showed that HIV+ men who were circumcised for the trial were 50% MORE likely to transmit the virus to a female partner than HIV+ men they left intact were.  The AAP task force members are ignoring this fact, along with any discussion about the infant's human rights, or the risks and drawbacks of circumcision.  It is also noteworthy that the cut men in the studies DID contract HIV at a rate six times higher than the rate of new infections among African-American men.  Most of the US men who have died of AIDS were circumcised at birth.  Whatever circumcision's effect, it does not prevent AIDS.

This HIV talk is all quite irrelevant, though, since infants don't have sex and aren't at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.  The decision about circumcising that infant can wait until the boy himself can understand the issue and make his own choice: cut off exquisite parts for very limited protection at best, or practice safer sex.

- - - - -

The Chairperson of the AAP Task Force recently gave a radio interview and you can hear how she just can't see the issue from the male's human rights perspective.  Here's the Audio (save to your local computer before trying to play it):
http://TLCTugger.com/Media/SiriusDoctorRadio-DrSusanBlankAAP-2010-01-20.mp3

or http://tinyurl.com/ykxxpsk

If you have the time and resources, you can also send individual notes to the members of the task force:

The American Academy of Pediatrics
Task Force on Circumcision:

Susan Blank, M.D.
AAP Task Force on Circumcision, Chairman
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
125 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013
212-788-4406
sblank@health.nyc.gov

Errol Alden, M.D.
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest point Blvd.
Elk Grove, IL 60007
EAlden@aap.org

Jay E. Berkelhamer, M.D.
Children's Health Care of Atlanta
1600 Tullie Circle
Atlanta, GA 30329
jay.berkelhamer@choa.org

Michael Brady, M.D.
Pediatric Academic Association
700 Children's Drive
Columbus, OH 43205
michael.brady@nationwidechildrens.org

Douglas S. Diekema, M.D.
Department of Emergency Services
Children's Hospital & Medical Center
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
diek@u.washington.edu

Andrew L. Freedman, M.D.
Pediatric Urologist
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
8635 W. Third Street, Suite 1070
Los Angeles, CA 90048
andrew.freedman@cshs.org

Renee Jenkins, M.D.
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health
Howard University Hospital
2041 Georgia Avenue, NW, Room 6B02
Washington, DC 20060
rjenkins@aap.org

Judith S. Palfrey, M.D.
President-Elect, AAP
Children's Hospital Boston
300 Longwood Avenue
Hunnewell 201.3
Boston, MA 02115
Email Contact Form at:   http://www.childrenshospital.org/cfapps/research/data_admin/email.cfm?s=219&c=0&u=Judith Palfrey

Roger Suchyta, M.D.
Associate Executive Director
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove, IL 60007
rsuchyta@aap.org

David T. Tayloe, M.D.
Goldsboro Pediatrics
2706 Medical Office Place
Goldsboro, NC 27534
dtayloe@aap.org

Dan Walter, M.D.
Senior Policy Analyst
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove, IL 60007
dwalter@aap.org


The CDC will most likely revise its policy in step with the AAP.  Relevant
CDC personnel can be reached at the following email addresses:

circumcision@cdc.gov; kkretsinger@cdc.gov; timothy.mastro@cdc.gov;
bioethics@aap.org; cdcinfo@cdc.gov; executivecommittee@aap.org;
rjenkins@aap.org; Jay.Berkelhamer@choa.org; dtayloe@aap.org; EAlden@aap.org;
peter.kilmarx@cdc.hhs.gov; pbk4@cdc.gov; diek@u.washington.edu;
dlw7@cdc.gov; patrick.sullivan@cdc.hhs.gov; thomas.peterman@cdc.hhs.gov;
allan.taylor@cdc.hhs.gov; allyn.nakashima@cdc.hhs.gov;
mary.kamb@cdc.hhs.gov;
lee.warner@cdc.hhs.gov; stephanie.bailey@cdc.hhs.gov;
stephen.blount@cdc.hhs.gov; kevin.fenton@cdc.hhs.gov; fvo9@cdc.gov;
DWalter@aap.org; rsuchyta@aap.org


You may also call Dr. Peter Kilmarx at the CDC at (404) 639-3311. Ask for Dr. Kilmarx and politely tell him why infant circumcision is a bad idea.

Katrina Kretsinger, MD
Lieutenant commander
US Public Health Service
1600 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30333
404-639-8544
kkretsinger@cdc.gov

Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of the Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333
cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Note that Dr. Frieden was in charge of NewYork City health services when he ruled that it was OK for ritual circumcisers to continue to suck blood from the infant's penis with their mouths, even after three infants contracted herpes (one died).

Peter H. Kilmarx
Branch Chief
US Centers for Disease Control
Corporate Square, E45
Corporate Blvd.
Atlanta, GA 30329
peter.kilmarx@cdc.hhs.gov
pbk4@cdc.gov

Timothy Mastro, M.D.
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
US Centers for Disease Control
Mail stop D21
Corporate Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30329-1902

Jeff Crowley, MPH, Director
Office of National AIDS Policy
Comments: 202-456-1111

To send a message directly to Mr. Crowley and to President Obama:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

David S. Janssen, MD, Director
Division of HIV/AIDS
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Corporate Square Building, Room 5170
8 Corporate Square
Atlanta, CA 30329

Lee Warner, Ph.D
Centers for Disease Control
Division of Reproductive Health
4770 Buford Hwy NE
Mail Stop K-34
Atlanta, GA 30341
dlw7@cdc.gov

Additional CDC Committee Member Emails:

Patrick Sullivan
patrick.sullivan@cdc.hhs.gov

Thomas Peterman
thomas.peterman@cdc.hhs.gov

Allan Taylor
allan.taylor@cdc.hhs.gov

Allyn Nakashima
allyn.nakashima@cdc.hhs.gov

Mary Kamb
mary.kamb@cdc.hhs.gov

Lee Warner
lee.warner@cdc.hhs.gov

Stephanie Bailey
stephanie.bailey@cdc.hhs.gov

Stephen Blount
stephen.blount@cdc.hhs.gov

Kevin Fenton
kevin.fenton@cdc.hhs.gov

Thanks.  These people must be made to understand that an infant's right to keep his intact body supersedes a parent's right to make cosmetic alterations to a non-consenting minor.