NCFM Press Release
San Diego, California, May 7, 2013
The National Coalition For Men (NCFM) proudly announces the first annual International Foreskin Awareness Week, from May 6 to May 12, 2013.
Contact:
Steven Svoboda, Esq., NCFM PR Director, arc@post.harvard.edu 925-395-2065
“One of NCFM’s goals is to educate the public about the lesser known issue of discrimination against men and boys. In light of the recent announcement of International Clitoris Awareness Week by Clitoraid (an organization that focuses on advocacy against female genital mutilation while also opposing male genital mutilation), the importance of raising awareness about male genital mutilation is more critical than ever,” said NCFM President, Harry Crouch. “That’s also why we’re scheduling International Foreskin Awareness Week for the same days as International Clitoris Awareness Week.
As part of International Foreskin Awareness Week, NCFM encourages men and women around the world to educate themselves, and others, about male genital mutilation and take action to stop it.
NCFM Public Relations Director J. Steven Svoboda said:
Male genital mutilation, or ‘circumcision,’ is comparable to removing a girl’s clitoral foreskin, one of several forms of female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is illegal in the U.S. and many other countries, as it should be, despite being credited with purported health benefits similar to those attributed to male genital mutilation and despite certain cultural practices that support or even require such genital mutilation.
Unfortunately, U.S. constitutional guarantees of equal protection are violated by our failure to as yet extend similar safeguards to baby boys. While even a small ceremonial incision on a girl’s genitals is illegal, every year approximately one million American baby boys have their foreskins sliced off without their consent.
National medical associations in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland have all recently condemned infant male circumcision as harmful, unnecessary, and a violation of medical ethics. Recent studies in Belgium and Denmark confirmed the importance of the foreskin for penile sensitivity, overall sexual satisfaction, and penile functioning, and found circumcised men are five times more likely to experience sexual problems. Moreover, a recent legal case in Germany held that circumcision violates the right to bodily integrity and is illegal. A law that subsequently overturned the German court decision appears to be constitutionally unsound and thus inapplicable.
Svoboda added, “The male foreskin is one of the most sensitive parts of the entire body, with over 20,000 nerve endings. The foreskin also serves important protective, immunological, and erogenous functions, acting as a natural buffer and lubricant during sex.”
The National Coalition For Men is a non-profit, educational organization that advocates for equal rights for men and women. While NCFM in no way endorses circumcision, neither does it oppose men and women choosing to be circumcised once they legally become adults.
Agree!
It is only equitable that if there is an International Clitoris Awareness Week to fight female genital mutilation, that we also have an International Foreskin Awareness Week to fight against male genital mutilation.
Kudos once again to NCFM for fighting for gender equality.
It’s certainly a topic worthy of discussion and intelligently presented here.