Lately, NOCIRC and other activists have been encouraging people to cast their vote at the site www.Change.org on a petition regarding circumcision. The site has encouraged people to present various issues that deserve attention from our political system, and circumcision was one of them. People are now encouraged to vote on each idea, and the most popular ones in the end will be submitted to our government for consideration.
A news item that came up in conversation this month: in Denmark they have been discussing the possiblity of outlawing circumcision. It has been met with some controversy among cultural minorities who practice it. Currently it seems to be only a matter of debate - no legislation has been introduced.
One of our group members spoke about trying to persuade a very good friend who is pregnant to not circumcise her soon-to-be-born son. We offered suggestions on various ways of approaching the subject, in hopes that another boy would be spared the knife.
Someone brought up an observation that those who have a foreskin, or have restored one, may show more of a sense of confidence or wholeness. While it has never been studied how being circumcised may affect one's attitude, some restorers here have experienced a change in theirs, and have wondered about that of others.
We had an attendee this month who is intact. He expressed much compassion for men who have been circumcised, and offered encouragement in our restoration efforts.