This past year has seen astonishing advancements within the intactivist community and for Intact America. We've organized, supported, and participated in demonstrations and protests all around the country; we've raised awareness about the potentially deadly consequences of circumcision; we've seen circumcision become one of the most popular topics in the media; and we've increased our ranks to more than 40,000 intactivists!

As 2013 comes to a close, we're rolling up our sleeves in preparation for the challenges we intactivists will face in 2014:

• Battling the pro-circumcision media machine, which still conveys the myth that circumcision is "normal" (when, in fact, half of America's boys leave the hospital intact)
• Fighting the medical establishment's profit-fueled obsession with cutting boys' penises
• Standing up for the babies who are still being strapped onto hard plastic boards and forced to undergo unnecessary surgery on their genitals!

Intact America needs to redouble its efforts to educate the public, doctors, parents, and the media with the truth about circumcision, and we can't do that without your help.

Your financial support is what makes our work possible! Please consider making a financial contribution—every dollar counts, every dollar makes a difference.

In fact, if you pledge your tax-deductible gift before midnight on December 31, every dollar you donate will be DOUBLED up to $25,000, thanks to a group of generous intactivists who've pooled their resources to create our Year-End Matching Gift Challenge!

—Politicians in Norway may ban medically unnecessary circumcisions in that country's hospitals. "As a modern society, we should work to eliminate practices that expose children and people to unnecessary suffering," said Ruth Grung of Norway's Labour Party. Read more >>

—In Israel, a divorced mother has been ordered by a rabbinical court to circumcise her son, who is now one year old. She's appealed to Israel's highest court, and is facing fines for each day she delays her son's circumcision. Read more >>

—Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made a remarkable statement in a recent appearance at Yeshiva University in New York. When asked about the 2011 attempted ballot measure to ban medically unnecessary child circumcision in San Francisco, Scalia responded, "If the practice is something that society does not want, and it's not intended to discriminate against Jews in particular, I think the law is perfectly valid." Read more >>

—Shelton Walden, a staunch supporter of boys' rights and a former Intactivist of the Month, has written an essay about his recent travels to New Orleans and Cincinnati in support of intactivism. Read the essay >> | Join Shelton in supporting Intact America >>

—The National Post has published a letter by J. Steven Svoboda, founder and executive director of Attorneys for the Rights of the Child, in response to Mark Joseph Stern's article calling anti-circumcision activists "fringe," "paranoid," and "bizarre." Read more >>

—The mother of a three-month-old Memphis boy named Ashton, who was disfigured in a botched circumcision, is considering legal action. In an interview with Memphis Fox News affiliate WHBQ, Georganne Chapin said, "It is dangerous, risky and wrong to cut the genitals of a child. It does nothing for his health, nothing for his well being, and puts him at terrible risk, as this poor mother and her baby have found out. He will live with those consequences for the rest of his life." Read more >>

—The Business of Baby author Jennifer Margulis has written about Baby Ashton's story. In "One in 500 Newborn Boys Experience Acute Complications From Circumcision," Margulis asks, "How many is too many? When do we say enough is enough? When do we decide as a culture that taking a sharp knife to a boy's genitals within the first few days of his life without his consent and for no good medical reason is unacceptable?" Read more >>

November 24: Georganne Chapin, Intact America's Executive Director, critiques a recent pro-intact article by an author who self-identifies as "progressive," but in fact still adheres to a common misconception about circumcision and religion. Join the conversation and subscribe to our blog today!

One of Intact America's greatest strengths is the diverse and supportive intactivist community. Our "Intactivist of the Month" segment highlights some of the most ardent opponents of infant and childhood circumcision, whose tireless efforts will ensure a future where all babies are kept intact.

DECEMBER 2013: As we head into the holiday season, thoughts turn to giving, to both our friends and loved ones and to our community. Within the intactivist community, generosity from donors is what makes possible the work we do. This month, Intact America is honored to celebrate one such generous donor, Robin Banks Beatty.

Robin's introduction to the question of circumcision came via a relationship with an intact man. "When I was 21, I was dating a guy from Austria. That's when I found out what circumcision was. I'd never heard it mentioned before, and as soon as I heard about it, I was opposed to it."

Read more about Robin >>