WAccording to the Hebrew Bible, circumcision was enjoined upon the biblical patriarch Abraham, his descendants and their slaves as "a token of the covenant" concluded with him by God for all generations, as an "everlasting covenant".
W15 Square, formerly known as NORM-UK, is an English-registered charity concerned with the health of the human genitals, with a particular focus on the foreskin and the avoidance of unnecessary circumcision. It provides information about conservative treatments for conditions such as phimosis and frenulum breve, as well as advice regarding foreskin restoration for circumcised males. It also hosts and participates in conferences and symposia about genital health and integrity.
WBalanitis is inflammation of the glans penis. When the foreskin is also affected, the proper term is balanoposthitis. Balanitis on boys still in diapers must be distinguished from redness caused by ammoniacal dermatitis. The word balanitis is from the Greek βάλανος balanos, literally meaning 'acorn', used because of the similarity in shape to the glans penis.
WJacob Shmuel "Shmuley" Boteach is an American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, author, and TV host. Boteach is the author of 31 books, including the best seller Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy, and Kosher Jesus. For two seasons he hosted the prime time television series Shalom in the Home, which was one of TLC's highest-rated shows. His outspokenness has earned him praise and criticism. The Washington Post referred to him as "the most famous rabbi in America," Newsweek named him one of the 10 most influential rabbis in the United States, and The Jerusalem Post named him one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world.
WClitoraid is a non-profit project started by the Raelian movement to combat female genital mutilation.
WThe frenulum of prepuce of penis, often known simply as the frenulum, is a highly erogenous elastic band of tissue under the glans penis that connects the foreskin to the vernal mucosa, and helps contract the foreskin over the glans. Along with the ridged bands at the tip of the foreskin, it is considered to be the most sensitive part of the penis to fine-touch.
WIntact America is a registered non-governmental Intactivist organization created in 2008 to advance the view that the circumcision of non-consenting minors is unethical and medically unnecessary, and therefore should be abandoned. They also claim that circumcision reduces sexual sensation in males and that it is a violation of modern bio-ethical standards to forcibly remove erogenous tissue from children. The activist organization uses traditional media, social-networking, demonstrating, and other methods to encourage social change. The group has been mentioned in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, MSNBC, and Huffington Post.
WPhimosis is a condition in which the ridged band of the akroposthion of the foreskin of the penis cannot stretch to allow it to be pulled back past the glans. A balloon-like swelling under the foreskin may occur with urination. In teenagers and adults, it may result in pain during an erection, but is otherwise not painful. Those affected are at greater risk of inflammation of the glans, known as balanitis, and other complications.
WThe prevalence of circumcision is the percentage of males in a given population who have been circumcised. Rates are rapidly rising globally, and vary widely by country, from virtually 0% in Honduras and Japan, to 6.6% in Spain, to 20.7% in the United Kingdom, to 45% in South Africa, to 80% in the United States, to over 90% in Israel and many Muslim-majority countries. In 2016, the global prevalence of circumcision was estimated to be around 38%, with notable increases of both circumcision incidence and prevalence seen in the United States, the Middle East; and Africa; major medical organizations have promoted a higher rate of circumcision in Africa as a preventive against the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In 2020, the World Health Organization reiterated that it is an efficacious intervention against the pandemic on the African continent if carried out by medical professionals under safe conditions.
WDavid Reimer was a Canadian man born male but raised as a girl following medical advice and intervention after his penis was severely injured during a botched circumcision in infancy.
WThe ridged band is a band of mobile skin at the most distal end of the foreskin. It is part of the akroposthion, the portion which extends beyond the glans. It has, especially in regard to phimosis and preputioplasty, been called preputial ring or phimotic ring, ring being analogous to band, referring to the shape, and preputial meaning pertaining to the prepuce. More particularly, it refers to the transitional area from the external to the internal surface of the prepuce, or foreskin. It is usually described as highly erogenous.
WThe World Wide Day of Genital Autonomy (WWDOGA) is a campaign day to oppose circumcision of infants initiated by the German "Facharbeitskreis Beschneidungsbetroffener im MOGiS e.V.". Since 2013, it is celebrated on each 7 May in many countries and regarded by the press. This date was chosen because on May 7, 2012, the District Court of Cologne (Germany) judged for the first time in Germany that the circumcision of male children is an assault.