September 24, 2022
Genital Autonomy, Equal Protection, and the Law: A Story of Two Judicial Decisions Seventeen Years Apart
The Intact 2022 Symposium held on August 27-28, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia, the sixteenth symposium overall, was the first such event co-organized by Intact America and the Law Office of David J. Llewellyn…
December 24, 2020
ICMI 2020 – Four Conference Presentations on Genital Autonomy
A very Merry Christmas and a retrospective Happy Hanukkah to all! The 2020 International Conference on Men’s Issues had no fewer than four speakers on various aspects of genital autonomy. The conference was held online instead of the original plan to hold it in Australia…
August 16, 2019
Genital Autonomy, the United Nations, and the Law
…He overviewed the movement to protect genital autonomy in all its multifarious forms, discussing his team’s recent United Nations work and the recent and very different court decisions relating to the laws against female genital cutting in the US and in the UK…
May 31, 2019
Steven’s Presentation in Leeds, UK on United Nations Work Well Received
The talk on April 27, 2019 in Leeds, England by Steven Svoboda and his friend and colleague Antony Lempert of the Secular Medical Forum (SMF) was very well received by a primarily academic audience at the University of Leeds. The different backgrounds and experiences (and continents…
July 22, 2018
Genital Autonomy, Gender Equity, and the World
The London International Conference on Men’s Issues (ICMI) in late July 2018 went fabulously. Steven’s talk on July 21 regarding, “Genital Autonomy, Gender Equity, and the World” was very well received by the audience of over 150. When filmmaker…
May 31, 2018
Genital Autonomy and the World
The 15th International Symposium on Genital Autonomy & Children’s Rights, organized by Genital Autonomy America, was held in San Francisco from May 4-6, 2018. It proved a phenomenal success, with an incredibly high quality of presentations by leading experts on diverse aspects of…
September 21, 2017
Steven’s Presentation Well Received at NCFM 40th Anniversary Conference
Steven Svoboda’s talk on September 13, 2017 at the 40th anniversary conference of the National Coalition for Men (NCFM) went very well. The topic of his talk was “Genital Autonomy and Gender Equity.” Steven outlined recent developments in genital autonomy work including legal victories…
May 29, 2015
The rights of the child versus the rights of the parent?
ARC executive director Steven Svoboda presented at the “Myths and Multiple Standards” conference in Frankfurt, Germany on May 8, 2015. The title of his well-received talk was “The rights of the child versus the rights of the parent?” The conference was recorded on video and will be…
April 21, 2015
Steven Svoboda, Marilyn Milos, Hida Viloria and Soraya Mire at the Berkeley BirthKeeper Summit
On May 1, 2015, from 3PM to 4:20PM, the first BirthKeeper Summit featured a session titled, “Protecting Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights,” co-presented by Marilyn Milos, Hida Viloria, Soraya Mire, and Steven Svoboda. Hida is Chairperson of Organisation Intersex International (OII) and…
January 20, 2014
Steven Svoboda and Peter Adler Submit Abstracts for 2014 Boulder Symposium on Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights
Attorneys for the Rights of the Child (ARC) Legal Advisor Peter Adler and ARC Executive Director Steven Svoboda have each submitted an abstract for presentation at the 2014 symposium, to be held in Boulder, Colorado from July 24-26, 2014. The symposium is entitled Genital Autonomy 2014: Whole…
November 14, 2013
Charleston Debate Marks Turning Point in Movement to Recognize Circumcision as a Human Rights Violation
The Twentieth Pitts Lectureship in Medical Ethics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, held on October 18-19, 2013, marked an awesome team win that activists for genital integrity were able to achieve when I debated Michael Brady, M.D. and effectively also…
September 28, 2013
Welcome to the New Era: Four Fatal Flaws in the German Bill Legalizing Male Circumcision
Steven Svoboda presented on September 16, 2013 at the “Promoting Children’s Rights in Europe–Recent Developments” conference held by Genital Autonomy in Keele, UK.
October 2, 2012
Strange Yet Familiar Bedfellows—Effectively Addressing Chronic Issues Encountered when Law and Human Rights Seek to Protect Bodily Integrity, J. Steven Svoboda
Presentation at the Twelfth NOCIRC Symposium, Helsinki, Finland, September 30-October 3, 2012
September 1, 2011
Protecting All from Genital Cutting — Law, Human Rights, and Demedicalization
Steven Svoboda presenting his paper, “Protecting All from Genital Cutting—Law, Human Rights, and Demedicalization,” at the 2011 Genital Autonomy Conference in Keele, England.
July 31, 2010
Tortured Doctrines, Tortured Bodies: How Legal Fictions Help Justify and Perpetuate Male Circumcision and Other Inhumane Practices
Although the doctrine of informed consent functions reasonably well within its area of applicability, it dissolves into an incoherent legal fiction when applied by proxy to incompetent persons such as newborns and mentally incapacitated adults…
April 26, 2009
Circumcision: Past, Present, Future
Annual Convention of the Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH), Pacific Grove, California, April 26, 2009 (with Marilyn Milos).
September 4, 2008
Three-Fourths Were Abnormal’-Misha’s Case, Sick Societies, and the Law
Tenth International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity, and Human Rights, Keele, England, September 4, 2008.
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July 4, 2008
Three-Fourths Were Abnormal’- Male Circumcision, Medicine, Culture and Law
Genital Cutting in a Globalized Age Interdisciplinary Conference, London, July 4, 2008.
July 14, 2007
Moving into the 21st Century with Joy: Protecting Boys from Circumcision
Men’s Equality Conference, Washington, DC, July 14, 2007.
August 26, 2006
A Treatise from the Trenches: Why Are Circumcision Lawsuits so Hard to Win?
Ninth International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity, and Human Rights, Seattle, Washington, August 26, 2006.
August 1, 2006
Legal, Ethical, and Human Rights Concerns Relating to Circumcision
a presentation made with Dr. Mark David Reiss to pediatricians and other physicians at Kaiser in Sacramento, California.
September 3, 2004
Legal Panel and Discussion, Genital Integrity and Gender Equity
Eighth International Symposium on Circumcision and Human Rights, Padua, Italy, September 3, 2004. We attended the biannual symposium held in Padua, Italy, presenting a talk on genital integrity and gender equity. In Padua, we also participated on a legal panel with several other attorneys including ARC Board Member David Llewellyn and ARC Advisory Board Members John Geisheker and Zenas Baer. ARC had a table in the presenter’s room that was stocked with our T-shirts, business cards, articles, photos, newsletters, and other material. We also participated in media interviews during our time there. Padua may have been the most successful and impressive NOCIRC symposium we have ever attended. As usual, an ARC subgroup formed and held informal meetings during the symposium.
April 3, 2003
Attorneys for the Rights of the Child
Genital Integrity Awareness Week , Washington, D.C., April 3, 2003.
April 5, 2002
Educating the United Nations About Male Circumcision
Seventh International Symposium on Human Rights and Modern Society, Washington, DC, April 5, 2002.
June 26, 2001
Circumcision as a Preventive for HIV: Reconciling Science, Ethics, and Human Rights
“Circumcision as a Preventive for HIV: Reconciling Science, Ethics, and Human Rights,” in panel entitled, “Circumcision and Violence,” 14th Meeting of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research, Berlin, June 26, 2001.
We received a substantial honorarium and were invited to Berlin for the Fourteenth Meeting of the ISSTDR, where on June 26, 2001 we presented “Circumcision as a Preventive for HIV: Reconciling Science, Ethics, and Human Rights.”
March 31, 2001
Circumcision as a Preventive for HIV: Bad Science, Questionable Ethics, a Human Rights Violation
“Circumcision as a Preventive for HIV: Bad Science, Questionable Ethics, a Human Rights Violation,” Genital Integrity: A New Awareness, Washington, D.C., March 31, 2001.
December 8, 2000
Comparative Legal Analysis of Body Mutilation Practices on Children
Sixth International Symposium on Genital Integrity, Sydney, Australia, December 8, 2000.
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November 19, 2000
Exciting New Developments at Attorneys for the Rights of the Child and Update on Legal Developments
“Exciting New Developments at Attorneys for the Rights of the Child and Update on Legal Developments,” Port Antonio, Jamaica. ARC participated in the Fifth Gender Transition Movement Leaders’ Conference, November 19, 2000, a week-long strategy meeting of leaders in various aspects of the gender transition movement.
In 1999 and 1997, we also participated in this very valuable and rewarding event organized by author Dr. Warren Farrell, each time delivering presentations updating the participants on ARC’s work and on developments in the movement to protect children’s rights to genital integrity. Among various promising developments, ARC developed closer ties with the Men’s Health Network and the National Black Men’s Health Network.
September 26, 2000
Rethinking Newborn Circumcision: What Physicians who Perform Them Think, and What Lawyers Want Them to Know
“Rethinking Newborn Circumcision: What Physicians who Perform Them Think, and What Lawyers Want Them to Know,” with Dr. Chris Fletcher, St. Vincent Hospital, Santa Fe, New Mexico, September 26, 2000.
September 10, 2000
Male Circumcision: An Issue of Relevance to the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Community
On September 10, 2000, Tim Hammond of NOHARMM, Tina Kimmel of NOCIRC-Berkeley, and J. Steven Svoboda made a presentation, “Male Circumcision: An Issue of Relevance to the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Community,” to the Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender-Intersexual chapter of the American…
November 27, 1999
Updated Report On The Work of Attorneys for the Rights of the Child
Fourth Jamaica Men’s Movement Leaders’ Conference, Fisherman’s Cove, Jamaica, November 27, 1999.
November 4, 1999
Male Circumcision
On April 6, 1999, along with Tim Hammond and Leland Traiman, both of NOHARMM, and again on November 4, 1999, without any co-presenters, we gave very well-received 1.5-hour presentations regarding circumcision in a class on male sexuality at the University of California at Berkeley.
August 10, 1999
New York City Presentation
In August 1999, we travelled to New York City and gave two presentations on circumcision on August 5 and August 10, 1999. The first took place at Caravan of Dreams restaurant with Laurie Evans of NOCIRC of New York” Mid-Hudson Valley, and the second was sponsored by the Wetlands organization and co-presented with anti-FGM activist Rana Badri of Equality Now! The audience response was extremely gratifying at both events, as many audience members had their eyes opened for the first time to the harm caused by male circumcision.
July 13, 1999
Where, Science, Ethics, and Human Rights Meet
Our presentation on July 13, 1999 in Denver before approximately 200 physicians at the Thirteenth Meeting of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) was well received. Our talk, entitled, “Where, Science, Ethics, and Human Rights Meet,” concluded the panel on “Male Circumcision, STD, and HIV: Science, Ethics, and Controversy.” I discussed various aspects of male circumcision including an overview of its anthropological and historical roots, ethics, law, and human rights. I said the burden of proof must lie with proponents of this amputative surgery and that no religious exception exists to excuse a physician’s potential ethical and legal liability, particularly given that the religion of the patient cannot be known at the time of the operation. Comments after the panel ran overwhelmingly in favor of not performing non-medically indicated surgery on unconsenting minors.
April 16, 1999
National and International Laws Defending Children from Genital Mutilation
Chicago Conference – On April 16, 1999, we presented Friday’s closing talk at the Chicago “Circumcision Update: Medical, Ethical and Legal Issues” conference organized by NOCIRC. Our presentation was entitled “National and International Laws Defending Children from Genital Mutilation.” The presentation surveyed pertinent statutory and human rights law and also delved into an overview of the intactivist political movement which is one of the leading forces today struggling to “put the heart back in the law.” Immediately following this presentation, we participated on a “panel of experts” along with other activists.
September 25, 1998
Male Circumcision as Male Sexual Victimization–A Roundtable Discussion to Promote Re-Examination of Its Role in Our Lives and Healing from the Wounds
With Tim Hammond and Jim Bigelow, West Coast Retreat of the National Organization for Male Sexual Victimization, Watsonville, California, September 25, 1998.
August 6, 1998
Attaining International Acknowledgment of Male Genital Mutilation as a Human Rights Violation, and a Written Intervention
Fifth International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations, Oxford, England, August 6, 1998.
November 24, 1997
The Work of Attorneys for the Rights of the Child
Second Jamaica Men’s Movement Leaders’ Conference, Fisherman’s Cove, Jamaica, November 24, 1997.
September 19, 1997
Male Circumcision as Male Sexual Victimization–Learning to Effectively Protect and Treat Male Children
with Tim Hammond, at the Seventh Interdisciplinary Conference on Male Sexual Victimization, Orinda, California, September 19, 1997.
August 10, 1996
Routine Infant Male Circumcision: Examining the Human Rights and Constitutional Issues
Fourth International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations, Lausanne, Switzerland, August 10, 1996.
March 7, 1996
Routine Infant Circumcision: Examining the Legal & Constitutional Issues
with Wayne Hampton, Tim Hammond, Marilyn Milos, Tom Morris, Miriam Pollack, and Leland Traiman. Student Center, Kendrick Hall, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, March 7, 1996.
February 22, 1996
Routine Infant Circumcision: Examining the Legal & Constitutional Issues
With Tim Hammond, Wayne Hampton, Martin N., and Leland Traiman. University of San Francisco Law School, San Francisco, February 22, 1996.