Melanie Arougueti/Staff Writer
On Thursday, Jan. 31, men and women walked around our university’s main campus dressed in white clothes with bloodstains on the groin area, and holding picket signs reading, “I want my foreskin back.”
Despite the protesters’ concerns about the supposed inhumanity of circumcision, the positives outweigh any concerns when it comes to trauma.
Bloodstained Men and Their Friends are the non-profit organization in question. Besides visiting our campus, they also hung around the Brickell area last week, standing by the Super Bowl traffic to protest against the circumcision of boys in the United States. However, that isn’t all they were protesting.
As an earlier PantherNOW article pointed out, one of the signs read, “cut bagels, not penises.” This is a flamboyant attack on the Jewish community, of which I am part of, who traditionally circumcise their boys at eight days old.
We understand that the lawn near the Graham Center is for freedom of speech, but we should be able to draw the line at hate speech and stereotypes.
Another one of the organization’s main concerns is doctors and hospitals making money off of circumcision. What they forgot to point out, as they bullied Jews for eating bagels, is that Orthodox Jews do not usually get doctors in hospitals to perform the circumcision. Instead, they get someone called a “Mohel,” or a Jew trained in circumcision. They are also by donation only.
Not only does this organization target Jewish and Muslim beliefs—it also goes against many medical and professional health organizations who say that circumcision prevents infections and other health risks.
Some of the main health benefits include “a lower risk of HIV, syphilis, human papilloma virus and genital herpes, lower risk of cervical cancer in sexual partners and lower risk of penile cancer over a lifetime,” according to John Hopkins Adolescent Medicine Specialist Arik Marcell.
While opponents of circumcision are often quick to compare it to the process of female genital mutilation, this could not be more of a fallacy. Circumcision has proven health benefits, while the latter only inflicts harm.
We should focus on how to protect our children from many things, but circumcision is not one of them. Perhaps the Bloodstained Men and Their Friends should consider some of these facts the next time they shame entire religions for their belief system.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Have questions or comments for our writers? Send an email to opinion@fiusm.com with your name and the name of the column in the subject line.
The post Circumcision Protestors Need To Cut It Out appeared first on PantherNOW.