Respect Past Life Memories: A New Concept for Childcare

By Anna Olson

Unfortunately nothing in our culture prepares parents for this moment. On the contrary, everything in our culture teaches that children’s past life memories are impossible.

          from Children’s Past Lives by Carol Bowman

IN THE BOOK, Children’s Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child, author Carol Bowman proposes instructing parents and childcare givers on how to listen to children’s past life memories if and when they emerge. She feels that scientists (details below) have adequately proven the validity of past life memories, and now the question is how to put this knowledge to good use.

       Bowman suggests that remembering past lives could be “a natural part of our soul’s development, an opportunity to clear issues from the past.” She details cases where a person’s problems in this life refused to clear up until a relevant past life was revealed. Perhaps “parents are part of the plan for helping our children benefit from spontaneous past life memories,” she says.

       But first, how do you know when a child is having a genuine past life memory versus spinning a tale? Bowman gives four signs to look for: a matter-of-fact tone, consistency over time, knowledge beyond experience, and corresponding behaviour and traits.

       Bowman, mother of Chase and Sarah, describes how she stumbled into the surreal world of past life memories. Four-year-old Chase had an intense fear of loud noises that had no relation to trauma in his life so far. When Carol met a regression therapist who helped clients remember past lives, she asked him to work with Chase in case there was a past life aspect to the boy’s fear. There was. Chase recounted a time when he was a soldier and was surrounded by canons going off. After reliving that past life, Chase’s fear of loud noises diminished.

       That was the start of Bowman’s immersion into the subject of reincarnation. She read all she could, and took a week-long workshop on receiving and assisting regressions. She saw how her past lives reflected some of the difficulties she had in the present, and she also became more adept at helping others access their memories.

Reincarnation controversy

       If past lives are real, then reincarnation, whereby the soul returns to earth in a different body over and over again, is real. Reincarnation is a touchy subject as the Western world is largely Christian with its belief in one life only; you die, and then your soul goes to heaven or hell for eternity. It’s a challenge for parents who believe the Christian dogma to be suddenly confronted with a child claiming to having lived before.

       Bowman doesn’t go into depth on the religious aspect in her book; she focuses instead on the proof for reincarnation, how to handle children’s revelations, and the healing aspect for children and grown-ups alike. (On her website, www.childpastlives.org, click “library” for Bowman’s article, “Reincarnation and the Early Christian Church.”)

       For proof, Bowman points to the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson, head of the psychology department, University of Virginia School of Medicine. He wrote Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation and Children Who Remember Past Lives. Dr. Stevenson limits his investigation to cases in which the child starts talking about memories without anyone asking. Up to 1997, he and his colleagues had collected more than 2,600 cases from a wide range of cultures and religions around the world.

       To qualify for a “solved” case, Dr. Stevenson wants to hear detailed memories of the past life from the child, a match to the life of one (and only one) predeceased individual, and no way the child could have known the details other than having lived as this individual. If there are traits, skills, phobias, and preferences that are out of place for a child’s natural family, but that match the life of the previous personality, those details would reinforce the verbal memories and strengthen the evidence for reincarnation, Stevenson contends.

       In thirty-five percent of his verified cases (309 of 895), the children had birthmarks or birth defects that matched wounds from their previous lives. ”They are important because they offer physical evidence for the link between past and present lives,” claims Dr. Stevenson. He found that memories often appear for the first time when the child is between the ages of two and five.

       Most spontaneous past life memories in children involve memories of death – especially a violent one. Dr. Stevenson suggests: “It seems reasonable to suppose that the intensity of an experience such as a violent death can in some way strengthen or ‘fixate’ memories so that they are more readily preserved in consciousness.” 

Prepare for the shock

       Now for the heart of the topic: advice for caregivers when a child announces shockers like, “My other mommy had curly hair” or “I died before.” One 18-month-old toddler, who had spoken in single words only to that point, told her stunned mother, "I am going to take my vows tomorrow. My name is Rose but tomorrow I will be Sister Theresa Gregory."

      Bowman offers five suggestions to help you cope with what could be one of the most memorable moments of your life.

·         Stay calm. Especially if you’re the driver in a moving vehicle! Many children reveal past lives as they slip into an altered state due to the vibration of the car. Pull over if you can and turn off the car. Take a deep breath and pay attention to the child’s words and tone of voice.

·         Acknowledge. Use a loving voice and assuring words to help your child continue with the revelation.

·         Allow emotions. Allow the memory to unfold naturally and the child to express his or her emotions.

·         Clarify past and present. Help your child to understand that the past life is over and that his or her present reality is safe.

       Bowman encourages caregivers to trust that their love for the child will come through. “Respond by affirming, allowing, encouraging, acknowledging, explaining, clarifying, assuring – and always with love,” she writes. “More important than any technique,” she adds, “allow your child to lead the way.” Simple phrases like “Oh, I see,” or “That’s interesting,” or echoing the child’s statement, can help the child to stay focused and continue with the story.

       Children’s Past Lives abounds with stories of children (and adults) healing after a relevant past life was revealed. Here’s another story involving her son, Chase. He was upset after a “Ninja” slumber party with games, videos and pizza. After that night, he got anxiety attacks at bedtime. “He felt sick to his stomach, got very pale and quiet, and was anxious about not being able to get to sleep,” Bowman says. This went on for six weeks. The parents tried everything to comfort him but nothing worked.

       Then Chase, who by now was familiar with past lives, suggested doing a regression. His mother helped him to stay with the feelings from the Ninja party in order to find the relevant past life. He traveled in his mind back to “castle times” where he was trying to steal something, got caught, and put in a dungeon where he died. He explored his feelings from that life and could see how the Ninja party triggered the memory. His stomachache left, and he slept peacefully.

                          * * *

Reincarnation is real to me because I have experienced past lives myself. About 25 years ago, I went to a regression therapist out of curiosity. The lives that I relived seemed credible because of the physical sensations involved. For example, in one life, I was a young soldier shot in the lower back. As I described the incident, I felt a shock at the base of my spine that went to the top of my head and to my feet at the same time. I have never had that sensation in this lifetime.

       In another past life memory, I died in a fire. I could feel three stages to the death: I was conscious and in pain; I was unconscious but still alive; then I felt my spirit leave my body. Needless to say, I have not experienced that in this life. The good part about reliving past lives for me is that if I have lived before, I assume I will live again. This present life is just one of many. I'll do my best and know that I can complete things in other lives if necessary.

       As I was preparing this article, I asked friends for their experiences. Here’s a sampling:

·         Pat says her four-year-old grandson Anders asked her, "Do you miss Christopher?" She told him "Yes" whereupon he replied, “You don’t have to worry about Chris anymore. He’s in my body.” Pat’s son Chris had died at age eight. Anders knew about the death of Chris but the concept "he's in my body" was totally his own thinking. Pat told me, "I don't understand it, I just accept it." 

·         Maria told me her five-year-old daughter announced she had lived in Atlantis. "The reason Atlantis disappeared," she told her surprised mother, "is that the people abused their psychic powers. They could kill others by using their thoughts."

Anna Olson is a freelance writer and editor living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. If you would like permission to reprint this or other articles, email her at annols@mts.net.

Near Death Experience – What Comes After?

By Anna Olson

“If you expect to die when you die, you will be disappointed.”

P.M.H. Atwater

SO MANY PEOPLE have come back from the brink of death and described their visit to the “other side” that it’s no longer a taboo subject.

    It’s got a name now: near death experience or NDE for short – and the one who has been to “heaven” and back is called an NDEr.

In times past, “the great majority [of NDErs] were either ignored, made fun of, threatened, and in some cases physically abused because they dared to tell their story,” write Phyllis Atwater in Coming Back to Life: The After-Effects of the Near Death Experience.

    Atwater is a poster girl for NDEs as she survived three of them. A good part of her drive to learn more was a need to connect with other NDErs to facilitate her own recovery. She has now written ten books, and lectures extensively on the subject.

I floated up and out of my body, passed through a dark tunnel and ascended towards a light at the end of the darkness. I was greeted by friendly beings, some of who I knew. Then I was told that my work on earth was not finished and that I needed to return. I descended into my body, feeling confined and limited again.

    This is a typical NDE but Atwater has heard many variations. For example: one woman saw herself encased in a blue bubble; a man felt himself held by a giant hand; a woman straddled a light beam and toured the universe; and a man saw nothing, but heard a thunderous voice instructing him on work to be done when he returned to his body.

    But regardless of how simple or complex the near death episode,” says Atwater, “the vast majority of survivors commented most about the incredible, overwhelming love they felt, the peace, the feeling of total acceptance, and the Presence of God.”

    Atwater suggests that survivors of NDEs may go through several stages in their emotional recovery:

Withdrawal and internal adjustment. Not only has the NDEr had a metaphysical experience but is also likely recovering from an illness or accident.

Realignment with family and friends. Depending how receptive they are to this other-worldly experience, the process will be easy and smooth or rough and bumpy. Sometimes NDErs turn to drugs and alcohol because of the difficulty of adjusting to the “real world” after glimpsing the peace and love on the other side.

Balancing the internal and external pressures. If this balancing act is successful, the NDEr often develops more self-confidence and becomes interested in service to others.

A time of discouragement. If there is too big a gap between the NDEr’s values and those of family, friends and culture, the NDEr can become depressed. Some even attempt suicide.

Deep integration of the near death experience. The NDEr finds the strength to express his or her values no matter what others may think.

Finding love and warmth on the other side

A friend of mine, “Beth,” almost died after a car accident when she was in her early twenties. She floated away from her body, she says, and saw a “big warm light” in the distance. Also present was her grandmother who had died five years earlier. Beth and her gramma had had a close bond. Beth remembers longing to stay with the love of her gramma and go with her to the big light in the distance. But it wasn’t her time; Gramma told her to go back. The next thing Beth knew, she was waking up in a hospital bed with anxious medical staff peering at her.

    The happy part of the story is that Beth reveled in the love from her grandmother and the light. “Ever since then, I’ve felt her watching over me,” says Beth. “And I know there is more than this physical life. I know it from inside.”

    The sad part is that she was a victim of a more repressive time. She told no one about her NDE for over 40 years. “My family, even though they were religious, would have thought I was out of my mind,” says Beth. “I knew they would be afraid of the neighbours thinking they had a crazy daughter, so I kept quiet.” When she heard I was writing on this subject, she broke her 40-year silence and told me what she had been through.

A four-year-old boy meets Jesus

In this story, the parents are incredibly open and supportive when their four-year-old son, Colton, talks about what he saw and heard when he almost died from a ruptured appendix.

    We learn the full details in Heaven is for Real written by his father, Todd Burpo, a Wesleyan pastor in the small town of Imperial, Nebraska. (The Wesleyan Church is an evangelical Protestant denomination.)

    The revelation of the near death experience starts four months after the crisis when the Burpo family is traveling to another town to visit relatives. As they pass the turn-off to the hospital, Todd’s wife Sonja asks her son if he remembers his time there.

    “Yes, Mommy, I remember,” he said. “That’s where the angels sang to me.”

    Thus starts an amazing journey for Colton’s parents as they struggle to comprehend and accept what their son is saying. Over the next two years, the details gradually come out. Jesus has really pretty eyes, and he loves children (really loves children), and he has a rainbow-coloured horse, and I did homework up there, and there are lots of children. Plus many more details.

    At one point, Colton announces to his mother that he has two sisters. Sonja protests that he has only one and that’s Cassie. Colton is adamant, claiming a baby died in his mom’s tummy.

“In heaven, this little girl ran up to me and wouldn’t stop hugging me,” says Colton. She said she was the spirit of the baby that had died. The shocked parents had not told Colton about the stillbirth.

Colton’s announcement helped to heal some of the pain of losing a baby they very much wanted. “She said she just can’t wait till you and Daddy get to heaven,” Colton added.

    Todd and Sonja are religious parents, knee-deep in church dogma, committees and social life. Todd Burpo is a pastor and used to talking about heaven from scripture, not from experience. He adjusts, often with self-deprecating humour to the challenge of listening to a four year old talking matter-of-factly about what heaven is like.

    My understanding is that the other side is different for each person, reflecting their beliefs and interests on earth. I don’t think people need to assume that if what Colton is saying is true, this would rule out other religious figures and scenarios. It’s possible to read this book and enjoy one child’s experience, but still have respect for all the religious and spiritual variety in the world.

In a nutshell

·         *    If you’ve had a near death experience, you’re not alone. Even if friends and family don’t accept your new reality, there is help online and in books. Having an NDE is the first step; integrating that experience into the rest of your life is the second.

·        *  One such resource is the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS). Type that name into a browser and you’ll find a website loaded with information.

·        *   If you’re a caregiver (lay or professional), know that some institutions and medical courses include information on how to detect when someone has had an NDE (e.g. the person may be disappointed to be saved from death). Personnel are advised to gently ask patients if anything unusual happened while they were unconscious. This helps people to start the integration process.

Understanding the near death experience is just one aspect of the new “after life awareness” that is surging around the world. Books, videos, websites, and even conferences have sprung up. There is so much out there for the inquisitive person to explore.

Anna Olson is a Winnipeg freelance writer and editor. To enquire about reprint permission, email her at annols@mts.net.

Vaccines and the 1918 Spanish Flu

Tag words: anti-vaccine, aspirin and Spanish Flu, medicine and Spanish Flu, encephalitis lethargica, laudenum, chloroform and Spanish Flu, alcohol and Spanish Flu

Vaccines and the Spanish Flu of 1918

By ANNA OLSON


The media is overwhelming us with warnings that a flu epidemic like the one in 1918 could return. “We’re overdue for another epidemic.... The ‘big one’ is coming.... We need to be prepared with vaccines and drugs,” the experts are saying.


I became curious: What caused the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, also called the Spanish flu? I logged onto the Internet and borrowed some books from the library to start my quest.


On the 'net, I was surprised to see quotes from people who lived through that period who blamed vaccines for the flu epidemic that swept the world at the end of World War I. Some of the comments were:


* “More soldiers were felled by vaccine shots than by enemy shots.”
* “The ones who were vaccinated died. If you didn’t get a shot, you were more likely to live.”
* In her book, The Poisoned Needle, Eleanor McBean claimed that “vaccinations caused the 1918 flu epidemic.” (http://www.whale.to/a/mcbean.html#CHAPTER I)
* Lionel Dole railed against vaccines in his book, The Blood Poisoners.
* Homeopath Dr. Sandra Perko implicated vaccines in “the history of flu” section of her book, Homeopathic Treatment of Influenza. She writes, "Commenting on the high infection and mortality rate among the United States Army bases, Dr. Carey P. McCord in The Purple Death observed, 'It is of some importance that immediately prior to the onset of the epidemic, some thousands of these soldiers had just received typhoid vaccine.'” Perko claims that homeopathic doctors of the day saved their patients' lives by advising against vaccines and drugs. Instead, the homeopaths advocated rest, wholesome food and a few homeopathic remedies to pull their patients to safety.




Could these people be correct? Vaccines are supposed to protect people against illness. Our society accepts the presence of vaccines in our lives almost without question: just some chiropractors, homeopaths and a few anti-vaccine rebels protest that vaccines are harmful and should be discontinued.


After reading the arguments for both sides, I came to the conclusion that the mortality rate of the Spanish flu was increased by the overuse of vaccines and serums; dubious medical treatments like aspirin and quinine; harmful patent medicines that contained alcohol, mercury and opium; unsanitary conditions, malnourishment, poverty; and the disruption of war including poison gases and trench warfare.


                                                        * * *
Influenza has been with us since recorded time. The Italians called it “influenza di freddo” meaning “influence of the cold.” People don’t become immune to this regular winter visitor because the virus changes a small amount every year – called “virus drift.” Every so often, the virus changes more dramatically – called “virus shift.” This “shift” virus tends to produce the same symptoms but more severe and with a higher mortality.


Usually symptoms of flu are sore throat, coughing, muscle pain, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Pneumonia is the complicating factor that can kill those with weak immune systems: the elderly, children and those with other health problems.


In 1918, symptoms of the Spanish flu were so bizarre that many doctors insisted on using “influenza” in quotation marks. Patients might have a sudden collapse, a fever of 104 degrees F., a rosy rash across the chest, purple face, hands and feet, coughing and vomiting blood, and often death within hours or a couple of days. Some patients would go crazy or have a fit of rage just before dying. The number of deaths attributed to the Spanish flu range from 20 to 40 million around the world.


                                                         * * *
The first of three waves of infection for the 1918 flu started in the military camps of the United States. The U.S. was preparing to enter the First World War to help Britain and France fight Germany.

Vaccination of the troops in the U.S. became mandatory in 1911. All soldiers were inoculated – one Internet source claimed at least seven live pathogens were used – as the men gathered in training camps across the country. The vaccines available at that time were smallpox, rabies, anthrax, typhoid, plague, meningitis and yellow fever. Mercury, which is one of the most poisonous substances known, was used as part of the carrier liquid in vaccines. Mercury is toxic to the brain, gut, liver, bone marrow and kidneys. Even minute amounts can cause nerve damage. There is no acceptable level for humans.


The army camps were crowded and unhygenic. A large number of animals clustered close by: horses for riding, and pigs and chickens for food. Soldiers disposed of the huge amounts of wet dung by burning it, creating a yellow haze that irritated the eyes, nose and lungs. Pneumonia sometimes resulted. When a contagious flu-like illness broke out, makeshift hospitals soon filled to overflowing and many soldiers died.


Military recruits were then packed into troop ships for the long voyage to France, their first landing place. Crowded, unsanitary conditions could have helped to strengthen any “bugs” on board.


                                                        * * *


The second wave of the flu started after the American troops landed on French soil in March of 1918. A three-day-flu had been present in the earlier part of the war which started in 1914 but had been milder with a lower mortality rate.


After the arrival of the Americans, the length of the fever increased to about a week and the soldiers took longer to convalesce. There were more complications like pneumonia, and a higher death rate plus the strange symptoms of purple blotches starting on the face, hands and feet and gradually spreading to the rest of the body. Nurses would have to look at the soles of the feet to see if the patient was white or coloured.


This second wave of the flu spread throughout Europe, India and Africa killing millions.


Conditions in Europe were deplorable during the First World War, especially for the soldiers: mustard gas blinded them and induced respiratory problems; malnutrition was widespread; trenchfoot was common in soldiers who had to stand and sleep in muddy trenches.


The British soldiers were inoculated – as were the French and German soldiers. Most “Westernized” countries vaccinated their citizens, especially with the smallpox vaccine which was hotly opposed by those who saw it causing more illness and death than it prevented.


                                                           ***
The third wave of the 1918 flu occurred in the fall of that year as soldiers returned home to North America, bringing a serious infectious illness with them. In the next four months, the United States suffered at least half a million deaths; Canada had about 59,000 casualties from the flu. The numbers are estimates because at first, flu was not a reportable disease; then during the epidemic, doctors and clerks were too involved with the uncontrollable disaster to keep accurate records.


Vaccines were thought to be the number one remedy for bringing the epidemic under control so the troops arriving back on American and Canadian soil were re-vaccinated. School inoculation programs were set up and the public was exhorted to submit to the needle for protection against the dreaded “Spanish Lady.” Vaccines and serums (clear liquid from the blood of sick or recovering patients) were also injected if a person got sick. As the epidemic continued to devastate the country, the American federal government allotted a million dollars for research. Most of this money was funnelled into vaccine production.


All these vaccines were made with pathogens other than viruses which were too small to be visible in the microscopes of the day. Researchers would have to wait for the invention of the electron microscope in the 1930s to be able to see the little bundles of viral DNA and RNA, many thousands of which could fit on the tip of a pin.


All the vaccines of 1918 contained mercurous chloride as part of the carrier liquid. We now know that mercury can cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor and behavioural dysfunction. Because vaccines were used for treatment as well as prevention, it’s possible people were accumulating a toxic load of mercury in their systems as well as all the pathogens.


A serum was developed from the blood of sick patients in an attempt to isolate the viruses the scientists suspected were there. The known pathogens were filtered out and the serum administered as a vaccine to try to prevent viral illness. Another serum was developed from recovering patients in the hopes that antibodies would help people to recover from whatever was causing this horrible flu.


                                                        * * *


The medical and folk cures for flu in the early 1900s may have weakened people rather than strengthening them. Consider these treatments:

* Aspirin was a new and popular remedy in the early 1900s. Critics now say aspirin’s only redeeming value is the suppression of pain – and that’s not always a good thing. Aspirin can damage the lining of the stomach, create a prolonged bleeding time, and cause wheezing and breathlessness. Alcohol, another popular remedy of the day, increases the side effects when taken with aspirin. Reye’s syndrome (severe liver disfunction, brain swelling, repeated vomiting and change in level of consciousness) has been connected to children taking aspirin in connection with a viral illness but it can affect adults as well. The combination of flu virus, aspirin and alcohol may well have contributed to the high mortality rate and to the development of encephalitis lethargica in some of the survivors of the Spanish flu.


Dr. Guy Beckly Stearns, a homeopath in New York at the time of the 1918 flu, wrote: "Aspirin and the other coal tar products are condemned as causing great numbers of unnecessary deaths. The omnipresent aspirin is the most pernicious drug of all. It beguiles by its quick action of relief of pain, a relief which is but meretricious. In several cases aspirin weakened the heart, depressed the vital forces, increased the mortality in mild cases, and made convalescence slower. In all cases it masks the symptoms and renders immeasurably more difficult the selection of the curative remedy. Apparently aspirin bears no curative relation to any disease and it ought to be prohibited." (quoted from The Homeopathic Treatment of Influenza by Sandra J. Perko, Ph.D., C.C.N.)

* Laudenum – alcohol mixed with opium and sweetened with sugar – was a favourite remedy in the early 1900s. In use since the 1500s and very addictive, laudenum could create rages and hallucinations in its devotees. The opium content depressed the vitality of the body, creating a pale and frail appearance. Respiratory complications, low blood pressure, mental health problems, severe constipation, lung, liver, kidney and brain damage, loss of weight and frequent infections were common side effects.

* Chloroform was used in a number of cough medicines. It’s now known that it oxidizes to form phosgene, an extremely deadly chemical.

* Alcohol was a favoured cure. It was in short supply because the food stuffs and labour for its production were recruited for the war effort. Charging $2 to the client, doctors would write a prescription for eight ounces of alcohol which would be filled by the pharmacy.


* * *
Could the Spanish flu be related to birds or pigs? Scientists are claiming to discover genetic material that suggests the Spanish flu was an avian flu. But in Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It by Gina Kolata, we read that the Spanish flu may have had more connection with pigs than birds.


Kolata states that in the fall of 1918, pigs in the Midwest U.S. appeared to get some kind of flu: runny noses, muscle pain, fever, coughing – and many died of pneumonia. This swine flu seemed to pass easily between people and pigs. In the 1930s, scientists looking for the cause of the 1918 flu found antibodies to swine flu in people who had survived the epidemic but not in those born after 1920. This suggests that a swine flu could have been part of the cause of the Spanish flu.


                                                   * * *
I don’t think we need to fear a repeat of the 1918 Spanish flu because times have changed. We are no longer using the harmful vaccines and cures of that day – and sanitation, at least in the West, has greatly improved. In general, our nutrition level is better, although we Westerners are consuming alarming amounts of sugar, chemicals, and junk food.


I suspect that resurrecting the Spanish flu to scare us is part of a plan to soften the public to accept mass vaccinations and the use of pharmaceuticals to counteract the newly formed, media-made “epidemic.” I think it’s time for the medical profession to adhere to its motto, “First do no harm.”

Anna Olson is a freelance writer and editor living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She can be reached at annols@mts.net.

Found it

Tag words: anti-circumcision, babies' rights, men's rights, Jewish circumcision

Circumcision: A Human Rights Issue
By Anna Olson


On the subject of circumcision, I admit to a bias: I am opposed to the routine circumcision of baby boys.


I didn't always feel this way. Twenty-seven years ago, I gave permission for my son to be circumcised because his father had been, and my obstetrician said it was best done for hygiene reasons.


Then, a few years ago, when I was editor of The New Age Connection, an ad crossed my desk from ETHIC (End the Horror of Circumcision). Horror? What horror? My son didn't suffer -- did he? As I looked into the matter, I grew increasingly appalled that I had unthinkingly sacrificed my son to tradition and medical dogma. As a result of my research, I wrote "Circumcision: Why fool with Mother Nature?" which appeared in NAC in the spring of 1990. Now, as editor of The Aquarian I again hope to present convincing arguments to persuade parents to leave their baby boys intact.


"My own preference, if I had the good fortune to have another son, would be to leave his little penis alone."   Benjamin Spock, M.D. (All inserted quotes are from the book Say No to Circumcision by Thomas J. Ritter, M.D.)


As a reluctant celebrity, Dr. John Taylor was drawn into the anti-circumcision limelight by my first article. His rise to fame began when I reported on his anatomical study of the oft cut up and thrown away foreskin. When anti-circumcision conference organizers in the United States read the article, they knew Dr. Taylor was their man. He has now presented his study to two conferences and expects to be asked to do more.


When I met with Dr. Taylor recently, he joked with me about his unsought-for notoriety. "It's unusual for a pathologist to do an anatomical study on healthy tissue," he said. "I get teased with 'here comes the penis doctor' comments at the hospital." Taylor did this study in his spare time, not through his job as heart pathologist at the Health Sciences Centre. But he's willing to bear the teasing. "Circumcision is a most unnecessary operation," he says. "I now see it as a human rights issue." He has even appeared on the Peter Warren radio show twice to try to convince Winnipeg parents and doctors of the value of an intact foreskin.


If there had been anatomical studies on the foreskin (or "prepuce" in proper medical terms), Dr. Taylor wouldn't have ventured into this delicate area. The problem for him arose when his pregnant daughter and her husband were discussing the possibility of circumcision if the baby were a boy. Coming from a family of four "intact" boys, Dr. Taylor had an emotional preference to leave nature alone. He searched the medical literature, but couldn't find scientific material to support his opinion.


Hence the study, "The Prepuce: Organ of Touch." In it, Dr. Taylor and a colleague studied the prepuces of fifteen male cadavers. They detailed the type of skin, blood supply, mucosa and nerve endings present in the prepuce. Because of the specialized nerve endings which become exposed to the source of friction when the penis is erect, Dr. Taylor concluded that the prepuce was more than just a little flap of skin to be thoughtlessly discarded. In fact, he came to regard the glans (the bulbous end of the penis), which most people feel is the more sensitive part of the penis, as a relatively "dumb" organ in contrast to the prepuce. Dr. Taylor suggests that when it comes to the senses of light touch, heat, cold and pin prick -- the prepuce, with its elaborate nerve supply, is as sensitive as the glans, if not more so. As well, specialized nerves in the prepuce may help men to achieve orgasm, Dr. Taylor adds.


Dr. Taylor's study settled the matter for his daughter and son-in-law. Their intact son is now ten years old and doing fine.


"Circumcision removes a piece of skin almost equivalent to a 3 x 5 inch index card."    Dr. Thomas J. Ritter


Bettie Malofie, another Winnipegger profiled in the first article, wasn't concerned about the damage to male sexuality when she founded the Winnipeg Chapter of ETHIC in 1989. Her concern was the extreme pain a baby boy suffers when the foreskin is cut, clamped, crushed and removed. The day after her son was born in a Winnipeg hospital, Malofie heard unusual screaming in a room down the hall. She asked a nurse what was wrong and was told, "That's just a baby boy being circumcised." Months went by and even though her own boy was intact and developing normally, the memory of the other baby's screams haunted her. She read all she could on circumcision and decided this was a barbaric practice she wanted to help end.


Today, Bettie Malofie is still mailing out anti-circumcision information at her own expense to anyone who request it. "That first article in The New Age Connection got the ball rolling," she told me. "ETHIC got about 100 requests for information in the ten months after it was printed." And Malofie's not ready to give up yet. "Approximately 3000 baby boys are circumcised each year in Manitoba," she says. "That's about 30 percent of the male newborn population."


When I asked Malofie if she approves of circumcision when it's medically necessary, she was reluctant to give wholehearted approval. "In my opinion, circumcision for medical reasons should be performed on an unconsenting child only as a last resort," she said. "If a pediatrician, urologist, homeopath, acupuncturist and naturopath all are convinced that surgery is the only method of treating balanitis (inflammation of the glans), phimosis (narrowness of the opening of the prepuce), recurrent urinary tract infections or any other problem, only then is the surgery truly indicated."


Ironically, medical problems of the penis are often caused by parents, doctors or other caregivers mistakenly trying to retract the foreskin before it's ready. "Just leave it alone," says Malofie. "Wash the outside of the penis, but don't try to pull the foreskin back." The foreskin, apparently, is fused to the glans in infancy and it gradually loosens so that the boy can pull it back without causing himself pain by 10 to 12 years of age.


"Complications of 'routine' newborn circumcisions are grossly underreported. The medical literature does report the major mutilations, the major hemorrhages, and the major infections. However, many males who are left with a deformed gland or a meatus (opening) too small or an insensitive glans have never been counted."
          Paul M. Fleiss, M.D., M.P.H.


Men who feel violated by circumcision are banding together in increasing numbers to try to halt what they see as child sexual abuse. In the U.S., NOHARMM (National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males) founder Tim Hammond issued the following warning at a rally: "We are tired of seeing parents misled by doctors. We men are tired of being lied to and ignored by doctors on this issue. As men who were circumcised as infants and who live with the long term physical and psychological consequences of a surgery we did not choose, we have a right and responsibility to speak up about a practice we know has harmed and continues to harm others. Men will no longer be silent!"


Picketing medical conventions, irate men carry placards with messages such as: No medical excuse for genital mutilation. Our bodies, our rights, our choice! Circumcision is where sex and violence meet for the first time. Circumcision is infant sexual abuse! Would you circumcise your dog?


Some of the men speaking out have been circumcised as adults and know the difference between sex with and without a foreskin. Dr. Thomas Ritter quotes such a man in his book, Say No to Circumcision! "J.T." was in the army and developed a skin disorder on his penis for which his doctor recommended a small operation. When the patient awoke from the anesthetic, he found he had been circumcised. After he recovered, J.T. discovered he had lost more than "just a piece of skin."


"Slowly the area (glans) lost its sensitivity," J.T. writes, "and as it did, I realized I had lost something rather vital. Stimuli that had previously aroused ecstasy had relatively little effect. The acute sensitivity never returned: something rather precious to a sensual hedonist had been lost forever. Circumcision destroys a very joyful aspect of the human experience for both males and females."


"Ironically, the historic record demonstrates that the original circumcision practised by the Jews was quite moderate compared to either modern Jewish or "medical" circumcision."   Thomas J. Ritter, M.D.


For most Jews, circumcision is a religious rights issue for adults, not a human rights issue for babies. The Jewish religion states that by fulfilling the commandment of circumcision, every person has an opportunity to bring a sacrifice to the Almighty. The Brith Milah (bris) is an extremely sacred religious ceremony.


But even this fortress of Jewish tradition is being attacked by Jews who value the rights of the baby over the religious rights of the parents. Edward Wallerstein was initially pleased that so many gentiles were adopting the Jewish practice of circumcision. But when he looked into the subject, he changed his mind. The book that resulted -- Circumcision: An American Health Fallacy -- is now a classic in the anti-circumcision literature.


Moshe Rothenberg is another Jew who is speaking out against circumcision. A social worker for the New York City Board of Education, Rothenberg presented his arguments at an International Symposia on Circumcision in favour of revising the Jewish ritual of circumcision. "Circumcision is child abuse. It is medically unnecessary," he wrote in the conference program. "It is a poor way to introduce a newborn male into the world and into the Jewish community. It completely excludes females from participation in a sacred ritual (thank God), but the result is a lessening of respect."


Rothenberg is among many Jews who are replacing circumcision with a baby-naming ceremony of the eighth day for both boys and girls. The rabbi, family and friends are present, but no knife is wielded!


In the United States, Jewish parents wishing to keep their baby boys intact have banded together to form the Alternative Bris Support Group (P.O. Box 1305, Capitola, CA 95010-1305). Helen Bryce, the contact person for this volunteer group, writes: "Based on our understanding of Judaism and the history of circumcision, we feel we have valid Jewish reasons to reject circumcision." The info packet she sends out deals with issues of pain to the baby, altered sexual response of the circumcised adult, children's versus parent's rights, and also information from the Encyclopedia Judaica and the Society for Humanistic Judaism. The best part may be examples of the baby-naming ceremonies so that parents can fulfill the emotional and religious aspect provided by the Brith Milah.


"Often the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it."   Mark Twain


Female circumcision: now that's bad. When federal justice minister Allan Rock bristled at African immigrants for wanting to circumcise their girl children, he probably had the support of most Canadians. He informed the immigrants that female circumcision was illegal.


I picture the interchange going something like this:


Rock: Female circumcision is a form of sexual mutilation and Canada as a civilized country can't allow that.


Immigrants: But you allow male circumcision for religious and hygenic reasons. We just want equal rights. Circumcision is part of our religion and we feel women are cleaner when circumcised.


Rock: But your kind of circumcision is extreme. You cut out the clitoris, remove the outer genitalia and stitch the child up so she has to remain a virgin until she marries. In Canada, we just allow the male foreskin to be removed.


Immigrants: Yes, but our women are happy. Often it is older women who perform the circumcision. And the men like it this way too. In Canada, fathers want their sons to look like them, and men who are circumcised become doctors who circumcise other males. Besides, it doesn't seem to bother you that some groups are describing infant male circumcision as genital mutilation. It is still quite legal. We want the same rights.


Rock: Uh, well, mmmmm.....never mind. You can't circumcise your daughters and that's that!


"Even an uncircumcised man with a bad technique is more satisfying to me than the best circumcised lover. You get that double motion action with an uncircumcised man. It's the best."   Woman caller on a radio talk show


In the adult male's penis, the foreskin represents close to 36 percent of the total amount of the skin surface. Is there any justification for its removal in infancy?


Advocates of circumcision claim fewer urinary tract infections in young boys and a reduced risk of penile cancer and AIDS in adults. These are not conclusive findings and arguments can be made about the flawed nature of some of the studies. My feeling is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." A newborn male's foreskin is a healthy, natural part of him -- in fact, a baby boy born without a foreskin is labelled as having a birth defect!


I believe cleanliness, good diet and safe sex can go further towards preventing the above illnesses than circumcision can.


And when you consider the physical and mental suffering imposed on the baby though circumcision, I agree with Dr. Spock when he says, "I would leave the little penis alone."


 Anna Olson is a freelance writer and editor living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Reprint requests welcome. Email annols@mts.net.

In the beginning ...

Hi Everyone: Today is the first day of my newly created Blog. I love writing and I want to share my current views and past writings with you. Reader comments are welcome.


I think of myself as a "contrarian" because my views are usually different from mainstream. I write for and used to edit a quarterly newsmagazine called The Aquarian (www.aquarianonline.com). It deals with holistic health, alternative spirituality and environmental concerns. Being involved with this paper has radicalized me. The articles that cross my desk have awakened me from automatic acceptance of mainstream practices.


One example is the circumcision of baby boys. Way back in the 60s, when my little boy was born, my obstetrician said that circumcision was best because it aided "cleanliness." Trusting as I was, I said yes. About 20 years later, a woman submitted an ad to The Aquarian for E.T.H.I.C. (End the Horror of Infant Circumcision -- the name she gave to her anti-circumcision activist group). After I read the article I realized that infant circumcision is unnecessary for medical reasons, and a violation of human rights. Here's the article I wrote about the subject.