15 Square AGM
This year 15 Square celebrated our 25th anniversary at our AGM and conference. Our medical institutions are still 50 years outdated in their practices when it comes to research, records and recognition of the consequences of circumcision. Despite this, our culture has moved on profoundly and this has spurred a change of direction for 15 Square.
“Many academics and scholars defend circumcision, asserting that it offers health benefits. But let’s be absolutely direct: there is no benefit to non-medical circumcision. There are potential harms both physically and emotionally.”
– Des Spence, Bad Medicine, British Journal of General Practice
The public are readily willing to tackle the ethical side of circumcision, and this has created fertile ground for debate and expression. As this debate has become louder, the medical institutions are slowly changing policy as it becomes clearer that this issue has evaded scrutiny due to the sensitivities around the subject.
AGM 2019
On Saturday the 16th, we were fortunate to be joined by Lesley Roberts who shared her son; Alex’s story. Alex Hardy was a kind hearted and intelligent young man who tragically took his own life following an adult circumcision at age 21.
Lesley shared some eloquent and powerful parts of his parting letter that Alex wanted the world to know. In this he raised awareness about the physical problems, viable alternatives, and of course, emotional struggles that men can come face to face with. Moving forward we are hoping to educate people about the value of the foreskin and how to preserve and care for it to avoid medical issues.
“I had the misfortune to be circumcised at about three months because the GP my parents consulted in the early 50’s viewed non-retraction at that age as unacceptable, and hence a mutilatable offence. I now gather that the conclusion they reached was incorrect.”
– Voices against circumcision, 15Square anonymous archive
Parallel to this, we presented our policy project where we are analysing public policy and investigating medical practice. There are pitfalls and a lack of consensus surrounding medical policy. A major fault lies with the fast and loose attitude towards following the policies that are already in place such as record keeping. Most records that are required are not kept, and the framework for recording them is severely outdated, seemingly without consequence.
Finally, one of the questions many circumcised men ask us is whether there are viable methods to restore their foreskin. Although we know there are working methods to stretch the shaft skin to create a replica foreskin there are no clinical trials to prove this, meaning that many doctors would not recommend the devices used with these methods. For this reason 15 Square also unveiled a project with John Dalton MSc to start working towards clinical trials to show the efficacy of these products which we know to have some noteworthy measure of success.
To the doctors who are skeptical of our stance due to conflicting arguments or the problems of circumcision, we would remind you that gravity existed long before Newton wrote about it, and the effects had been there all along.
Thank you to all of the attendees who made the day a resounding success. Each voice helps us raise awareness of the harm of this outdated practice so that people can make informed decisions.
It sounds a very positive AGM and conference. I had fully intended attending. I’m really sorry to have missed it.
The ignorance in general society of the issues is so frustrating but with tiny step by tiny step progress is being made: it is good to hear, as you say, the medical institutions are slowly changing policy as it becomes clearer that the ethical side of circumcision has evaded scrutiny due to the sensitivities around the subject, but it is still very worrying that institutions are ‘scared to do anything because it’s a religious issue’ (ref your news item of 17 October 2019 No Consent Circumcision; an Institutional Failure).
With this in mind and through my bitter, bitter experience of medical policy both in urology and psychiatry; and my research, explorations and own experience as a result, I have some thoughts to contribute. For example, many years ago, to try and understand the sensitivities around the subject and the religious issue, I studied the Bible, with focus particularly on and around the foreskin and circumcision stories in there. I wrote to the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, re what I’d understood from these, especially the concluding council and debate in Acts 15. Some correspondence ensued with his Correspondence Secretary. It ended with a pretty appalling response from the secretary.
A year or so ago the chance to meet Dr Williams arose and I took it. I was able to explain to him directly the point I’d been trying to make. He didn’t really get it, but gave his own explanation and suggested I talk to a Rabbi. I don’t know any Rabbis so I haven’t done this yet. It would be really helpful if you could make an introduction for me, please.
Re the Acts 15 concluding council and debate, the subject of circumcision was then, as now, hugely controversial. With my own experience of foreskin problems, and psychological consequences, my reading and interpretation of this concluding debate is that circumcision is not an essential pre-requisite to mixing and joining with the Jewish community (and vice versa), but it warns to beware to keep free of paraphimosis (‘strangled thing’ – Acts 15 v 20) and frenulum breve (‘blood’ – Acts 15 v 20). It is careful to avoid tying the future to a particular prescription for keeping free of these conditions. This conclusion and advice is then repeated in Acts 15 v 29 and Acts 21 v 25. Academics, theologians etc pontificate on their various interpretations of this chapter 15 of Acts, but none of them seem to have thought of or seen this one. Were this interpretation to be commonly accepted as correct, a good deal of progress could be made, I feel. Even if others disagree with this view, the message is surely true, can it not be said? The challenge then is, in highlighting the warning about paraphimosis and frenulum breve – how are teenage boys to be saved from unnecessary circumcision, from neglect and be supported and well-advised? It’s got to be better education for teenage boys (re their foreskin and how to look after it), for medics and for society as a whole, hasn’t it?
Thank you for listening.