‘Foreskin theft!’ Activists protest the ‘lifelong loss’ of circumcision in Bradenton
It’s a decision every parent has to make, but activists say well-informed men should have the right to choose whether they are circumcised.
In an eye-catching protest at the intersection of 14th Street West and Cortez Road on Monday, about 15 activists with the Bloodstained Men shared their anti-circumcision message. Red stains on the crotch area of their clothes symbolized the “mutilation” of the procedure that typically occurs for boys shortly after birth.
“It should be your choice how much of your penis you get to keep. Nobody should be tampering with the genitals of children,” said David Atkinson, a spokesman for the group.
The organization recently kicked off a 13-day tour of protests in Florida. In Bradenton, they found the support of Ana Dos Santos, a 26-year-old mother who opposes circumcision — a medical procedure that removes the foreskin that covers the tip of the penis.
“When I had my kid, I did the research and learned that the risks outweigh the benefits. It seemed obvious to me,” said Dos Santos, who brought along her 14-month-old son, Aspen.
That research revealed what many members of the Bloodstained Men organization already know — the United States of America is one of the last holdouts when it comes to circumcising children.
The World Health Organization estimates as many as 80 percent of American males are circumcised, which is in stark contrast to other advanced nations. According to a 2016 Population Health Metrics study, only 32 percent of men are circumcised in Canada, 21 percent in the United Kingdom and 7 percent in Germany.
“I’ve been against this since high school. We showered after gym and almost my entire class was circumcised, and I thought that was very strange,” said Jason Fairfield, who also participated in the protest. “When I was an exchange student in Germany, none of my class was circumcised.”
“My teenage brain tried to reconcile how two of the most medically and socially advanced countries in the world could be polar opposites on this issue,” he added.
Doctors say circumcision can reduce the chance of developing penile cancer and urinary tract infections. In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Dr. George Van Buren, a pediatrician with MCR Health, pointed out that the American Academy of Pediatrics prefers for parents to make a decision on whether their child participates in the procedure.
There are some cases when health issues can prompt doctors to suggest that a baby is circumcised.
“Usually when we see baby males that have more than one bladder infection, that’s when we recommend it,” Van Buren said.
While activists say they would prefer the right to choose for themselves, the procedure becomes more complicated after the newborn period, according to Mayo Clinic.
The Bloodstained Men plan to make several more stops in Florida in the coming weeks, including three separate protests in Miami on Super Bowl weekend. Their goal, Atkinson explained, is to inform as many “decision makers” as possible about the loss of “natural, valuable” foreskin.
“Right now, the decision makers are all around us. We can have a great affect on this issue by spreading awareness to the American people,” Atkinson said.
