FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A group called Bloodstained Men brought their nationwide effort to Fort Wayne on Wednesday to draw attention to what it calls a circumcision crisis.

Protesters gathered at the intersection of Coldwater and Coliseum for several hours and held signs up for motorists to read that included messages like “equal rights for boys” and “circumcision is sexual mutilation.”

The stop in Fort Wayne is part of a 17-day protest taking place in locations from Chicago to New York. The group claims that over 16 human functions are destroyed when a male’s foreskin is removed.

In a 2012 article posted on the American Academy of Pediatrics website, the organization states, “…the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks, but the benefits are not great enough to recommend universal newborn circumcision.” The article goes on to state that the decision should be left up to the child’s parents.