September 1, 2012
Michigan group to protest report urging circumcision
By Oralandar Brand-WilliamsRoyal Oak — Protesters outraged over a recent medical report blessing circumcision plan to demonstrate today outside Beaumont Hospital.
The Michigan March for Integrity plans to gather at noon to blast an American Academy of Pediatrics report this week that favors the age-old practice.
The doctors group found benefits to the surgery "outweigh the risks." Protesters disagree.
"Circumcision is the only surgery performed on children without a diagnosis," said Norm Cohen, state director of NOCIRC of Michigan, who expects about 40 people at the protest. "It violates their inalienable right to bodily integrity.The genital cutting of children is an ancient obsession in need of a rational basis."
Dr. Brian Berman, the chairman of pediatrics at Beaumont Children's Hospital, said the hospital leaves the decision to parents and supports the policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"We encourage families to thoughtfully discuss options with their care providers," he said, adding the policy "found the health benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks, but are not great enough to recommend universal circumcision."
Cohen said Michigan ranks as the No. 1 state in the country for circumcision, with 87 percent of newborn boys undergoing the procedure annually. The rate of hospital circumcision has dropped nationwide from about 80 percent in the 1980s to 55 percent now.
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