Obstetricians Protested for Performing Unnecessary Circumcision Surgeries

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) was the scene of a demonstration today as over one hundred protesters representing three national childrens rights organizations chanted, Circumcision has no use. Cutting babies is abuse" and Circumcision -- Laaaawsuit!" before ACOGs national offices in order to stop the surgery we know is unnecessary.

Human rights activists wore 'bloody diapers in protest to their genital mutilations received as infants. "Baby boys should not be coming home in bloody diapers. The men wearing these bloody diapers in this protest have grown up to resent the damage ACOG physicians have done to their genitals," says Norm Cohen, NOCIRC of Michigan.

We are here to encourage ACOG to provide their doctors with updated information on the issue and to let their membership know about the threat of litigation that is now entering the court system," says Marilyn Milos, director of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC). We are here to encourage ACOG to take a responsible leadership role by providing a strong statement against the dying practice of routine infant circumcision."

Amber Craig, director of NOCIRC of North Carolina, puts it more bluntly, We want them to stop circumcising, period."

One sign suggests ACOGs abbreviation means, 'A Cadre Of Greed. At an average cost of $350 per circumcision, OBs are generating $193 million in revenue performing a surgery that ACOG itself says is medically unnecessary. They are soliciting unnecessary surgery. Thats fraud," says Dan Bollinger, co-director of ICGI. Forty-six percent of all circumcisions are performed by OBs.

In a lighter tone, one sign showed a smiling babys face and the words, in green, Grows Best without Pruning, Leave Intact."

Circumcision malpractice litigation has been increasing in the past few years. Men, circumcised as infants, may file suit against their circumcisers when obtaining the age of consent -- 18 years of age in most states.

No national medical association recommends circumcision of boys. It is illegal in the United States to perform circumcision on girls.

This is the tenth year that activists from SIC Society have marched in Washington for childrens rights. NOCIRC and ICGI members joined them for the 3rd annual Genital Integrity Awareness Week. The International Coalition for Genital Integrity is a group of 36 international organizations opposing male and female circumcision, and male and female genital mutilation, and sponsors Genital Integrity Awareness Week events.
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If you would like to speak with an activist during this event, call 765-427-7012 and Dan Bollinger will relay your message immediately. Most activists are staying at the Best Western Capitol Hotel, 202-488-7500.

Marilyn Milos, RN, NOCIRC Founder, Director nocirc@cris.com 415-488-9883
Rio Cruz, PhD, ICGI, Founder and Co-Director, riocruz@cruzers.com 831-423-3285
David Wilson, SIC Society Founder, sicsociety@aol.com 321-783-6383
Amber Craig, NOCIRC-North Carolina, 919-968-3579, amberc@attglobal.net
Norm Cohen, NOCIRC-Indiana, 72202.307@compuserve.com
ACOG, 409 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC
ACOG Public Relations: communications@acog.org, 202-484-3321