Comments on Mama Notes: A Circumcision LIE

I'm closing the comments on this. My blog is...

2009-07-03T08:15:10.588-08:00

I'm closing the comments on this.

My blog is not a place to be rude to others about a choice they did or did not make. I welcome questions and disagreeing but not rude behavior and I am NOT a fan of anonymous rude comments.

I believe each family/mother does what is best for their child and their family wether it be about circumcision, vaccines, tv watching, eating habits, whatever.

Thanks for all your thoughts on this, we'll be moving on now. :)

It just so happens that I received a letter from m...

2009-07-03T07:13:16.433-08:00

It just so happens that I received a letter from my state's (Maryland's) Medicaid office with the number of circumcisions performed and paid for by Medicaid. For the past 5 years it's been about 60% in 2008 it was 56% The number of boys born in 2008 through Medicaid was about 15,000. So that is probably a good sample of the state. The 80% are boys from a different generation. Here is a link to a picture of the letter I recieved yesterday.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5633/dsc0414b.jpg

I think the comment made about no one is wrong was...

2009-07-03T06:51:13.060-08:00

I think the comment made about no one is wrong was about circumcision and I see now why they said judge not lest ye be judged... the next person just jumped straight to judging and called their comments idiotic. Can we just let it be?

Two similarly idiotic things were said in the comm...

2009-07-03T06:15:49.197-08:00

Two similarly idiotic things were said in the comments:

"Every mom does what is best for their child."

"No one is wrong."

Really? Wow. No one ever does anything wrong? Everything everyone does is right? Every mother does the absolute best thing for their child?

But surely violent criminals do things that are wrong. Surely women who kill their children are not doing the best thing for their kids?

Oh, okay--you mean everyone except for violent criminals does the right thing. But...really? The world is made up of violent criminals and perfect people? Mothers are criminally abusive or negligent or they parent in th most ideal fashion? There isn't any middle ground: people who do things that are kinda bad even if not illegal? Mothers who really don't do the best by their kids, but they are not bad enough to be arrested or have their kids taken away by the authorities?

Black and white world...amazing.

Alan

Wow, I read this and I have to say this has gotten...

2009-07-03T05:55:14.503-08:00

Wow, I read this and I have to say this has gotten ridiculous.

Yes, there were skewed statistics but the real wrong being done is the judgment. Why do you say things to hurt each other? Do you want people to feel awful about circumcision? If you do it you do and if you don't you don't. No one is wrong.

I used to be shocked at how many people attack others for their parenting decisions and now I see that people will do it no matter what.

How do you feel when you are the one on the side someone sees as wrong? Whether it be circumcision or anything else you should not tell someone they are wrong and that they have done something horrible.

Do you remember judge not lest ye be judged?

This is why I don't like American Baby. It isn...

2009-07-03T05:46:01.228-08:00

This is why I don't like American Baby. It isn't the first time they've given out misleading information and it won't be the last. After my "free year" subscription ran out, I opted to order Mothering Magazine and it has been full of useful information and always very accurate. Good for you for going to bat and trying to get the wrong info changed!!

Hi Samantha, You made so many valid points! I agre...

2009-07-03T03:48:54.545-08:00

Hi Samantha,
You made so many valid points! I agree, you can't believe everything you read and you must do your own research to get to the very bottom of something. I really enjoyed this post, as well as your blog! I recently discovered your blog and gave you an award. Go to the following to collect:
http://www.thetamom.com

Actually Kylie, with all due respect. It is wrong ...

2009-07-02T22:39:16.549-08:00

Actually Kylie, with all due respect. It is wrong to circumcise babies :( They are not consenting to such permanent body modification in their genitals. I agree with you, it is a very personal decision: the CHILD's personal decision.

Wow, I cannot believe that they took a population ...

2009-07-02T21:39:01.870-08:00

Wow, I cannot believe that they took a population sample of 6000 GROWN men and then made it a statistic for newborn circumcision. Shame on them.
I know circumcision is one of those topics that people can feel strongly about. Jill - of course it is not wrong to circumcise your son! Every mom does what is best for their child. My husband and I chose to circumcise our two boys (2.5 and 11 months). It is a personal decision and every momma does what works for their children and family!

Dear Judith Nolte, Editor: I am writing about an ...

2009-07-02T15:21:02.206-08:00

Dear Judith Nolte, Editor:

I am writing about an incorrect statistic given in the July 2009 issue of American Baby magazine (page 18). This short article states that "79 percent of newborn boys are circumcised in the U.S.." That statistic is incorrect. According to the the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is an agency of the Centers for Disease Control, 56.1 percent of newborn males in the U.S. were circumcised in 2006.
See: http://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/USA/

According to a 2006 report by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), "the most common procedures performed on infants included routine procedures, such as circumcision (performed on 24.9 percent of all infants, or 47.8 percent of all male infants). .. (page 33) The 47.8 percent figure is for inhospital patient care.
See: http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/factsandfigures/HAR_2006.pdf

This article also states that newborns who are circumcised "have a lower risk of developing urinary tract infections in their first year and STD's later in life." The American Academy of Pediatrics in 1999 stated that "the absolute risk of developing a UTI in an uncircumcised male infant is low (at most, ~1%)."
Concerning STDs, the AAP stated that "evidence regarding the relationship of circumcision to STD in general is complex and conflicting", and that "behavioral factors appear to be far more important than circumcision status." The AAP did not recommende routine circumcision.

A correction needs to be made in the next issue of American Baby so as not to mislead parents into thinking that the U.S. circumcision rate today is nearly 23% higher than it actually is! The circumcision rate among adult men in the U.S. may be higher because of routine circumcision in the past, but the fact remains that fewer and fewer newborn males are being circumcised today, as more and more parents are becoming educated about the harms of circumcision and the function and value of the foreskin.

Sincerely,
Petrina Fadel

What a bunch of crap. Saying that a number of men ...

2009-07-02T14:13:40.771-08:00

What a bunch of crap. Saying that a number of men had a procedure done in the 70's is NOT ANYWHERE CLOSE to saying 79% of babies BORN TODAY are being done.... the wording in that little box doesn't just suggest, it directly states with its present tense language that the 79% is a current stat.

Jill, I'm against circumcision because I belie...

2009-07-02T13:20:21.171-08:00

Jill, I'm against circumcision because I believe that is is unnecessary cosmetic surgery on an unconsenting, usually unanesthesized infant. No medical organization in the world reccomends it & some condemn it. Many people believe it is a human rights violation. The US is the only country where it's still routinely done & even there the rates are, thankfully, falling. They'd be falling faster, but doctors there are extremely unethical on this topic & don't properly inform parents that it's risky & unnecessary. It's wonderful that your willing to ask questions about it.

This article made me FURIOUS when I read it. Thank...

2009-07-02T13:12:58.221-08:00

This article made me FURIOUS when I read it. Thank you for writing in to the magazine.

Hey Jill, I "think" the norm nowadays is...

2009-07-02T12:26:26.768-08:00

Hey Jill,
I "think" the norm nowadays is about 50/50. I was totally going to circumcise my son too. My husband was and I thought every did it so I was going to also. But I did some researched and learned that its not necessary or needed, so I decided not to get it done. So, that's why I'm against it- because there no need for it, so I don't see the point in it.

You'll probably get lots of other responses too :)

Now, I hope everyone doesn't jump all over me ...

2009-07-02T12:15:10.296-08:00

Now, I hope everyone doesn't jump all over me for asking this, but was it wrong to circumcise my son? I never did research on the subject when my son was born (4 years ago), I just assumed since my husband was circumcised, my son would be too. Is this not the "norm" anymore? Obviously most of you are against it, but I'm curious as to why. Thanks :)

Yes maybe 79% of MEN are circ'd but that doesn...

2009-07-02T11:53:38.786-08:00

Yes maybe 79% of MEN are circ'd but that doesn't show the trend that only about 55% of BABIES are now being circ'd. I feel like I can never trust many parenting magazines because I feel like their "facts" can be persuaded by the people who pay the bills.

she's talking about men, grown men, not babies...

2009-07-02T11:53:01.504-08:00

she's talking about men, grown men, not babies born today. WOW, that's horrible, especially if any parents were influenced by the article. My youngest boy is 5 and i believe even back then it was almost 50/50.

Unbelievable! I can't believe they are going t...

2009-07-02T11:50:23.965-08:00

Unbelievable! I can't believe they are going to stand behind that!

79% of adult men and 79% of newborn boys are SO not even close to the same thing. This is such an obvious mistake I can't believe they are even defending it.

This is a GREAT example of why you shouldn't trust ANYONE with your child's health. Parents need to start taking resonsibility for their own children's health.

:stepping off soapbox:

I also wrote a VERY LONG, VERY nasty letter to Jud...

2009-07-02T11:45:27.711-08:00

I also wrote a VERY LONG, VERY nasty letter to Judy....I have yet to hear back....I was FURIOUS, FURIOUS, FURIOUS!!!!

ARRRRRGH! Too angry...can't write coherently.....

2009-07-02T11:27:32.871-08:00

ARRRRRGH! Too angry...can't write coherently...>:(

I read a similar publication on this study (printe...

2009-07-02T11:20:11.932-08:00

I read a similar publication on this study (printed in a different medical journal).

Really, this study (that Judy cited) doesn't say anything new -- yes, a lot of men were circumcised between the 1940s-1970s and it (thankfully) started to decrease in the 1980s. We already know this. The rate of men cut at birth decreased as the 1980s progressed (greatly due to the first 'intactivists' who started speaking out in the late 1970s). The fact that this small sample of ADULT MEN surveyed revealed a 79% circumcised rate (of those men returning the survey) does NOT change or impact the rate of newborns circumcised in any given year in the U.S. According to the CDC this rate has NEVER been higher than 65% in 1980 and today is down just below 50%. This study is also NOT a reliable representation of all U.S. males currently alive today.

Was this "American Baby" piece really written by someone who does not understand survey research and the way statistics are presented?

Making a blanket statement about the CDC and presenting the numbers as such is an outright lie.

Why "American Baby" ignores the 2nd part of the study that shows NO correlation between infection & circumcision is also cause for question.

The final line in the study's abstract repeats what ALL the other medical studies on circumcision and STDs have shown: "Circumcision was not associated with HSV-2 infection."

I studied this topic for 3 years in graduate school, looked at EVERY disease of the prepuce organ (in women and men), wrote my dissertation on the topic, and know the circumcision research inside and out. "American Baby" is presenting mis-truths and outright lies and needs to print a correction and apology to all American parents they are lying to AND the CDC who they are misrepresenting.

See my full response to this magazine feature here: http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/07/american-baby-magazine-circumcision.html

2009-07-02T11:12:25.669-08:00

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oh crepes! spotted a typo in my email - oh well to...

2009-07-02T10:47:27.678-08:00

oh crepes! spotted a typo in my email - oh well too late LOL

I am VERY infuriated about this, how horrible...

After that last one she sent I was NOT going to &#...

2009-07-02T10:45:09.436-08:00

After that last one she sent I was NOT going to 'sugar coat' my email to her, this is what I sent to her:

Hello Judy,

I am a mother of 3 children and I am writing because a blogger wrote about a small square on page 18 of the July 2009 edition,
that it writes that "79% of boys are circumcised in the US." That is not true. Many online based parents now that the circumcision
rate is about 56% and most of us are very uncomfortable that your magazine have published wrong information on this issue.
You need to provide accurate information, your circumcision stats is wrong and misleading to new parents that are facing with the decision.

Thank You,

Enith Hernandez

I wouldn't even consider that number to BE a l...

2009-07-02T10:37:49.224-08:00

I wouldn't even consider that number to BE a large sample. How could they possibly say that's a good representation of the males in the US? Wow, I'm shocked. Thanks for posting this. Good job mama!