Protest Planned To Stop The Circumcision Of Boys

ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - A group of about forty are planning a protest near William Beaumont Hospital on Saturday to bring attention to the issue of circumcisions for boys at birth.

An anti-circumcision group plans a noon protest in front of the Royal Oak hospital saying they are demanding professional integrity from physicians and genital integrity for all children.

The march is in response to Monday's announcement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. "The American Academy of Pediatrics has fumbled its new policy statement by favoring infant circumcision to prevent AIDS," says Norm Cohen, state director of National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Center (NOCIRC) of Michigan.

"Circumcision is the only surgery performed on children without a diagnosis.  It violates their inalienable right to bodily integrity," said Cohen.

NOCIRC said in Michigan, 87% of newborn boys are circumcised annually (over 51,000) at a cost of $13 million.