4-Year-Old Boy’s Circumcision Ordered By Judge: Parents’ Court Battle Goes Against Mother’s Wishes

A 4-year-old boy’s circumcision has been ordered by a Florida judge. Judge Dana Gillen upheld a ruling that allows the father to have his son circumcised against the mother’s wishes.

The battle began last year when Chase Hironimus Nebus was 3 years old. His parents began a court battle over the controversial procedure. A parenting plan was devised when Chase was a baby. His father, Dennis Nebus, agreed to pay for the procedure and have it scheduled. The parents never had the circumcision done on Chase because they just never got around to it. When it came up later on, Chase’s mother, Heather Hironimus, was against it.

The Palm Beach New Times reports that Judge Gillen not only ruled in favor of Nebus to go ahead and have the boy circumcised, but he put a gag order on Hironimus. This prohibits her from speaking to the press about it and she’s not allowed to tell Chase that she fought against the circumcision. She has already campaigned heavily via social media to gain support for her opposition to the procedure. A fundraiser created by Children’s Health Advocates for Surgical Ethics (or CHASE) has helped her with legal fees.

Hironimus argues that it’s not medically necessary for Chase to be circumcised. She worries that the procedure could hurt, or even kill, Chase. At the age of 4, it’s even more controversial for a circumcision to be performed.

The New Times spoke with a medical malpractice attorney and he says circumcision isn’t medically necessary and leaves potential for health risks. David Llewellyn specializes in medical malpractice cases, especially in the categories of genital injury, circumcision damage, and wrongful circumcision, the report says.

“In my opinion, there is never a reason to circumcise. There are good legal principles regarding this, but those principles are often disregarded because it’s such an emotional topic.”

Llewellyn notes that circumcision grew in popularity in the U.S. because it was mistakenly believed that it caused less sexual sensation that it would result in less masturbation. In 1970, a peer review in an edition of Campbell’s Urology, said parents wanted to do whatever it took to foster hygiene in their sons and limit masturbation. Parents opted for the procedure because it seemed like the thing to do for that.

“These myths are why we started doing it,” Llewellyn says. “What we’ve ignored is the damage. Bleeding, surgical mistakes, psychological damage. All because of a lack of understanding.”

Intact Florida will hold a peaceful demonstration on November 21 near the U.S. District Courthouse in Tampa, according to Intact News. The demonstration will go from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is about raising awareness for Chase.

The judge ordering a circumcision on a 4-year-old boy who has no voice in the matter is igniting a lot of debate, especially since his mother has a gag order. This opens up more discussion regarding the controversial procedure.

[Image via Intact News]