A South Florida Hospital known as Baptist Hospital or South Miami Hospital performed an unwanted circumcision on a baby boy who was spending 10 days on intensive care, he was circumcised the eight. His parents told the doctors several times that they did not want Mario circumcised. The doctors claim, they got the consent forms mixed up and took baby Mario out of the NICU and circumcised him without the parents knowledge or consent - let alone, the baby's consent. The baby is the patient not the parents!

Attorney Spencer Aronfeld, who is working the case, says: "A multi-million dollar lawsuit will be filed against the hospital and doctors who performed the irreversible amputation of this helpless baby's functioning tissue. We take the position that the procedure constitutes more than just medical malpractice, it is a battery and a human rights violation with lifelong consequences."

Read more here: In Florida Who Has the Right to Consent to a Circumcision?
CBS 4 News: Baby Gets Circumcised Against Family's Wishes
Join our Facebook Discussion

Below you will find one of the Power Point presentations used by one of the speakers, which talk about the effects of cesarean birth on the newborn. It is one of the topics that concerns our organization as we try to help mothers and fathers to make educated decisions about methods of birth and how they impact the well-being of our babies.

2010 VBAC Summit Topic: Conversations about the reality of maternity care in the United States:  Skyrocketing cesarean rates and the decline in vaginal births after cesareans.

Make sure to click with your mouse on each slide to go to the next.

http://www.vbacsummit.org
Speakers:
Nancy Wainer, CPM
Dr. Magloire, OB-GYN
R. Zachary Pearson-Martinez, MD FAAP
Tamara Taitt, MS

REGISTRATION Register early, space is limited.
Campus Accommodations (dormitory rooms)
Check in after 3pm Wednesday, 28 July, check out by
noon Sunday. Prices include accommodations & breakfast
(Thursday-Sunday and lunch Thursday-Saturday)

Early Registration (postmarked to NOCIRC by June 10):
Single room – $550 full symposium; $239 per day
Double room – $450 full symposium; $199 per day

Late Registration (postmarked to NOCIRC after June 10)
Single room – $599 full symposium; $249 per day
Double room – $499 full symposium; $219 per day
Additional accommodation nights available upon request

Registration Without Accommodations
(includes all meals as mentioned above)
$250 full symposium; $129 per day

Student Rates:
$190 full symposium; $96 per day

Parking Permits Required at Symposium Site
Rates: $14 per day. Must be ordered in advance.

Off Campus Accommodations:
Hotel Shattuck; http://www.hotelshattuckplaza.com
866-466-9199 or 510-845-7300

Banquet Dinner
Friday night, Faculty Club
Preferences: Chicken, Salmon, or Healthy Wok Vegetarian

Flight Arrangements & Door-to-Door Ground Transportation
Oakland Airport (closest to UC Berkeley)
Bay Porter $25 + tip; http://www.BayPorter.com

San Francisco Airport
Bay Porter $32 + tip; http://www.BayPorter.com

Continuing Education
CE credits provided upon request

Registration Forms
Available at http://www.nocirc.org (bottom right, home page)

ONLINE RSVP http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=315907489615

Please join us in Boston to voice your
support for the Massachusetts MGM Bill! [link]
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
1:00 pm
Hearing Room A-1
The Massachusetts State House24 [link]
Beacon Street  [link]
Boston, MA 02108
Directions [link]
Parking [link]
Massachusetts MGM Bill Status [link]
Massachusetts MGM Bill History [link]
Committee Hearing Tips [link]

Please also email your written testimony and/or a link to your video testimony [link] in support of the bill before March 2nd by writing to:  

Michael Avitzur, Legislative Counsel (Michael.Avitzur@state.ma.us)
 and
Rep. Eugene O’ Flaherty, House Judiciary Chair (Rep.GeneOFlaherty@hou.state.ma.us)

with a copy to these other Judiciary Committee members:

Senator Cynthia Creem, Senate Judiciary Chair (Cynthia.Creem@state.ma.us)
Senator Steven Baddour, Senate Judiciary Vice-Chair (Steven.Baddour@state.ma.us)
Senator Gale Candaras (Gale.Candaras@State.MA.US)
Senator Jack Hart (John.Hart@state.ma.us)
Senator Thomas McGee (Thomas.McGee@state.ma.us)
Senator Bruce Tarr (Bruce.Tarr@state.ma.us)

Rep. Christopher Speranzo, House Judiciary Vice-Chair (Rep.ChristopherSperanzo@Hou.State.MA.US)
Rep. James Fagan (Rep.JamesFagan@hou.state.ma.us)
Rep. Colleen Garry (Rep.ColleenGarry@hou.state.ma.us)
Rep. Marie St. Fleur (Rep.MarieSt.Fleur@hou.state.ma.us)
Rep. John Fernandes (Rep.JohnFernandes@Hou.State.MA.US)
Rep. Katherine Clark (Rep.KatherineClark@HOU.State.MA.US)
Rep. James Dwyer (Rep.JamesJDwyer@hou.state.ma.us)
Rep. Danielle Gregoire (Rep.DanielleGregoire@hou.state.ma.us)
Rep. Lewis Evangelidis (Rep.LewisEvangelidis@hou.state.ma.us)
Rep. Daniel Webster (Rep.DanielWebster@hou.state.ma.us)

You can also contact the Boston news media and ask them to report on this history making event:

Print
Boston Globe: 617-929-2000
Boston Herald: 617-619-6789
Metro Boston: 617-210-7905
Boston Phoenix: 617-536-5390
New York Times, Boston: 617-227-6188
Associated Press, Boston: 617-357-8101
Wall Street Journal, Boston: 617-654-6714

Radio
NPR WBUR Boston: 617-353-0770

Television
CBS WBZ TV 38: 877-WBZ-TIPS
ABC WCVB TV 5: 781-449-0400
NBC WHDH 7: 800-280-TIPS
FOX WFXT TV 25: 781-467-1300
PBS WGBH TV 2: 617-300-5400

Shots in the Dark, a documentary produced by the National Film Board of Canada, as of yet unreleased, because Stephen Harper does not want you to see this!

The delicate subject of vaccinations and its dangers is approached in a very revealing documentary film. Scientists, doctors, patients, and parents from Canada, France and the US all get their say.

Perhaps this film is the reason why the arts in Canada had their budget slashed in the last years by the Conservative government.

It was NEVER released or published.

Visit The Film's Official Website to buy the DVD http://films.nfb.ca/shots-in-the-dark

Watch the trailer and the series of interviews done for this amazing new film coming up about Birth, Fathers and unnecessary procedures done to our mothers and babies by Baby Keeper Productions.

"This is such important work. We are in the midst of a terrible trend of over intervention into birth, resulting in trauma and distress. Your films will show the core of the unexpressed pain for parents and for the baby."

Phyllis Klaus, CSW, MFCC
Co-author, "Your Amazing Newborn"

Press Release.
In Emergencies, Breastfeeding Is A Lifeline.

Emergencies can happen anywhere in the world. Infants and young children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition, illness, and death in these situations. Whatever the emergency – from earthquake to conflict, from floods to the flu pandemic – the story is the same: breastfeeding is a lifeline and a shield that protects infants in emergencies. From 1-7 August 2009, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), and breastfeedingadvocates in more than 150 countries worldwide will be celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) for the 18 th year. This year, WABA teams up with the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) and the International Baby Food Action Network-Geneva Infant Feeding Association (IBFAN-GIFA) who represent an international collaboration of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations (IFE Core Group) concerned with protection and support of safe and appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies. Together we call for the active protection and support of breastfeeding during emergencies and the prevention and refusal of donations of breastmilk substitutes 1 , bottles and teats that, too often, do more harm than good. When an emergency strikes, simple measures can make all the difference in the world. Emergency preparedness is the key to quick appropriate actions. Mothers need to be secure and have priority access to food for the family, water, shelter and safe places to breastfeed. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF recommendations - early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding until six months of age and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond - are even more critical in emergencies. Breastfeeding is the one safe and secure source of food and fluid for infants - instantly available, providing active protection against illness and keeping an infant warm and close to his/her mother. It also reduces the risk of post-partum haemorrhage in the mother, the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. In the challenging and risky environment of an emergency, how infants are fed is key to their survival. Protecting breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding from inappropriate marketing influences is an essential component of emergency interventions. Violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant WHA Resolutions are frequent 2 . International guidance 3 developed by the IFE Group clearly states that donations of breastmilk substitutes, bottles and teats should not be sought nor accepted in emergencies. Everyone can play a positive and important role in emergency preparedness and response. Find out what you can do by consulting the WBW 2009 ACTION FOLDER produced by WABA and the IFE Core Group that includes an extensive Guide for Action. Available online at the WABA website and in print in 4 languages from WABA. ‘Breastfeeding is a vital emergency response. When a disaster strikes, everyone should be ready!’