# The Case Against Circumcision Revised Guidelines



## georgia (Jan 12, 2003)

_Mothering_ questions routine medical circumcision and advocates for informed consent. TCAC hosts discussion of the reasons to avoid circumcision, the history of the procedure, medical issues and studies, complications, the needs and rights of the child, care of the intact child's penis and other educational topics. We are not interested in hosting discussion on merits of routine infant medical circumcision. Advocacy threads requesting members take action should be submitted to the Activism forum for approval.

It is our wish that The Case Against Circumcision be an informative and welcoming space for those who are new to the subject of circumcision. This is not a space to bash others. In an effort to minimize language which might alienate those seeking information, we are cautious about using pejorative terms such as abuse, barbarism, mutilation, etc. when routinely discussing circumcision. _Let the facts speak for themselves_.

While circumcision has sexual impact, any discussion of a sexual concern needs to remain clinical in nature, focused on the actual impact of circumcision and in keeping with the MDC User Agreement:

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Do not post profane or sexually explicit text. Discussions of a sexual nature should be within the realm of topics inherent to Mothering discussions such as sex after delivery, sex and the family bed, etc.
Please avoid slang terms for anatomy. Posts containing graphic sexual discussion or that link to or reference sexually explicit material are inappropriate for the forum and will be removed. Foreskin restoration discussion is beyond the current scope of this forum, however, we encourage those interested to check the Web Resource Thread for further information and helpful sites devoted to this topic.

*The discussion of or reference to religion is outside of the scope of this forum*. Any posts which bring any aspect of religion into the discussion are not appropriate and will be removed. Respectful discussion of a religious nature regarding circumcision, alternatives, etc. may be hosted in the Spirituality forum. The Spirituality forum is a debate-free zone. Members maintain a list of helpful websites in a Web Resources thread for further information about religious issues.

Members are expected to follow these Guidelines and MDC's User Agreement at all times when posting. Please PM a Moderator with any questions or concerns. Thank you so much for your participation


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## georgia (Jan 12, 2003)

From Peggy O'Mara, Mothering/MDC's owner and publisher:

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Thank you to all of our members who feel so passionately about keeping babies intact and who work tirelessly to help others understand the personal as well as the political issues associated with routine medical circumcision. Mothering has been publishing articles questioning routine medical circumcision in our print edition since 1979 and we're proud of the part we have played in educating parents about this issue. When we started the website and the discussion forums in the late nineties, The Case Against Circumcision (TCAC) was intended to be a place where new parents could learn about these personal and political issues and be assisted in making their decision about circumcision. In my own experience as an advocate I've learned that I have to take a mother where she is and appreciate that while I may lead her to what I believe to be the right decision, she has to make it herself. This is the true nature of informed consent. With this in mind, we want to keep TCAC for the new parents and we want it to be a place where they feel safe to have the space they need to make this informed decision. Over time, TCAC has understandably become more of a conversation among intactivists and as such, has become intimidating for parents who are new to the politics of circumcision. For this reason, we are refining the guidelines for TCAC so that it is again more of a place for new parents. This is why we have been moderating the forum in a different way recently and why we will continue to do so. We want TCAC to be a welcoming forum of inquiry for new parents looking into the issue of routine medical circumcision. Thank you for your understanding.


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