This has been a long time coming. The following is a paraphrasing of official publication from Intact Global corroborated with expert input from The Accidental Intactivist.
============================================================================== Last Friday, The Multnomah County Circuit Court ruled yesterday that Intact Global's constitutional challenge to male genital cutting can proceed. The court agreed that laws protecting only female minors from genital cutting may violate equal protection guarantees. This ruling in Hadachek v. State of Oregon marks a pivotal step toward legal recognition that non-therapeutic genital cutting of male and intersex children violates constitutional protections of equal rights and bodily integrity. The decision signals that courts will no longer dismiss serious questions about children's rights under genital cutting practices.
“Today’s ruling is not just a win for our plaintiffs. It is a win for children everywhere,” said Eric Clopper, attorney, founder & executive director of Intact Global.
“The court has recognized that it is legally plausible that Plaintiffs’ circumcisions violated their constitutional right to equal protection and bodily integrity. We are now firmly on the path toward changing the law. The implications are enormous and historic.”
In short: the conversation shifts from “Is this practice culturally acceptable or medically benign?” to “Is this practice constitutional, ethical, and aligned with children’s rights?” That shift has global resonance.
That said, legal battles aren't like the movies. There is rarely a single gavel bang that changes everything instantly. It is a strategic grind. It is about positioning. And on Friday, the legal team got into the best position possible.
This bears reiterating on the importance of what happened. The judge did grant the State of Oregon's motion to dismiss the current version of the complaint. However, he did so "without prejudice." In legal terms, this distinction is everything. A dismissal with prejudice means "Go away, you have no case, this is over." A dismissal without prejudice is the judge saying, "The core of your argument may have merit, but this specific legal document has issues. I am giving you a chance to fix it and come back."
What Comes Next? We Fight on Two Fronts.
The judge in Oregon, and even the State's own defense, pointed to a crucial truth: while this legal battle is vital, the ultimate solution lies in changing the law itself through legislative action.
This is not a setback; it is our mandate. The courtroom fight has exposed the legal inconsistency. Now, we take that exposure to the lawmakers and demand they finish the job.
Our path forward is a two-pronged attack: we arm the lawyers with evidence while we mobilize the public to demand political change.
1. We Build the Mountain of Evidence (The Legal Front)
The judge has asked our legal team for a laser-focused case on real, demonstrated harm. That is the entire purpose of the CircumSurvey. (clickable link)
Every anonymous story of resentment, every data point on sensory loss, every parent's testimony of regret. That is the ammunition our lawyers need. Your voice, captured in this survey, becomes the undeniable proof that this is a widespread human rights crisis, not a fringe issue. You are the evidence.
2. We Demand Political Action (The Legislative Front)
The seeds of doubt have been sown in the mainstream. The AAP's own experts are backpedaling. Now is the time to turn that doubt into political pressure.
This is your call to action, and it is more powerful than any single survey:
● Contact your state representatives. Email them. Call them. Attend their town halls.
● Ask them one, simple, direct question:"Our state has laws that protect female infants from non-consensual genital cutting. Do you support extending those same protections to male and intersex infants to ensure equal protection for all children?"
Force them to go on the record. Make bodily autonomy a voting issue. Let them know that their constituents are watching and that the cultural silence on this issue is over. The Survey is Your Toolkit for This Fight.
The data and stories we are gathering are not just for us; they are for you. Use the findings from the CircumSurvey in your emails to legislators. Share the charts. Quote the powerful, heartbreaking testimonials of men who were harmed. Use this project as your evidence-backed toolkit to make your case undeniable.
We prevailed on Friday because we earned the right to stay in the fight. The judge gave our legal team a roadmap for the courtroom. Now, it's time for us to give our legislators their own roadmap for true, equal justice.
Keep sharing your stories. And start demanding answers from those in power! ==============================================================================
To say this is heartening news would be an understatement. For context, the last serious attempt we had at attacking the practice of unconsensual child genital cutting was in 2014's San Francisco trial that ended up backfiring so spectacularly that Governor Brown introduced Assembly Bill 768 to prevent any other cities or counties from enacting similar bans. The fact we're finally getting some form of legal momentum, even if it's a dismissal without prejudice nonetheless warrants celebration. Couple this with the fact that original author of 2012's AAP circumcision guidelines has gone on the record renouncing their stance on it and the general populace declining in the participation of child genital cutting; it feels that we're finally starting to make a noticeable dent and progress and I am overjoyed to finally be able to genuinely hope we might see the end of this horrid practice.
I remember hearing that a main reason the MGM bill got canned was because its drafter made the awful Foreskin Man comic. The only consolation is the internet universally labeling it as a textbook example of what not to do when discussing circumcision.
I remember hearing that a main reason the MGM bill got canned was because its drafter made the awful
It's good to see so many anti-circum folks fighting the good fight! <3 Hopefully someday circumcision will be a weird relic of the past and/or just strictly a religious like it was before.
It's good to see so many anti-circum folks fighting the good fight! <3 Hopefully someday circumcisio
I hope so too! I've been an active participant in my activism since around 2014 and it's really gratifying to see that we're finally moving the needle.
I hope so too! I've been an active participant in my activism since around 2014 and it's really gra
