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Florida Judge Calls For Arrest Of Heather Hironimus, Mother Fled To Domestic Abuse Shelter To Avoid Son’s Circumcision

By Dawn Papple
Published on: 09:20 PST, Mar 10, 2015

Heather Hironimus did not appear in Judge Jeffrey Gillen’s courtroom today to sign the consent form for her son’s circumcision. Last Friday, the Palm Beach County Circuit judge ordered Heather Hironimus to appear in court Tuesday with her four-year-old son and sign a consent form for his circumcision or face arrest. The judge additionally told reporters to stop using the child’s name in media reports. Heather Hironimus’ case has gained national media attention over the last year, because she and the boy’s father disagree on whether the child should have his foreskin removed. Tuesday, the judge reportedly issued a writ of bodily attachment for Hironimus’s arrest.

In 2012, Heather Hironimus and Dennis Nebus signed a parenting agreement to have the child circumcised. Initially, the boy reportedly was diagnosed with phimosis, a condition that prevents the retraction of the foreskin which, according to NHS, is normal in babies and toddlers. Since the time of that agreement, Heather Hironimus reportedly testified that the surgery is no longer needed, and she has refused to comply with the earlier parenting agreement, appealing earlier court decisions.

Late last week, Inquisitr reported that Heather Hironimus fled with her son in order to avoid the circumcision procedure. Hironimus failed to show up in court on Friday. The judge said Friday that Hironimus could avoid going to jail if she showed up with her son Tuesday to sign the consent form for circumcision.

During the hearing last year, Pediatric Urologist Charles Flack testified that the procedure would only last 17 minutes and patients have few recovery problems. He also testified that it is medically acceptable to circumcise boys up until the age of 10-years-old. He stated that, for boys older than 10-years-old, it can be problematic because an erection can cause tears in sutures. Dr. Flack also testified that the procedure was not medically necessary for the child any longer.

Ultimately, the judge in Florida ordered that the circumcision should be scheduled, according to court documents. According to Nebus, he has not been able to locate his son since February 19. Hironimus and Nebus were never married, but Nebus is reported to be the biological and legal father of the child.

Additionally, attorney Thomas Hunker (who recently began representing Heather Hironimus, according to Local 10 News) filed a motion to have a court-appointed guardian ad litem for Hironimus and Nebus’s four-year-old son. Hunker wanted a mental health professional evaluate the boy’s state of emotions to determine if circumcising him would be an emotionally safe option for the child at this time.

“It’s the boy who’s really going to have to live the rest of his life with the decision,” Hunker said, according to the Sun Sentinel.

“The child is scared to death of the procedure and doesn’t want it,” Hunker explained.

Reporter Neki Mohan now states that Hironimus and the little boy have since checked into a domestic violence center and are consequently not able to be found. According to a post by Intact America, it’s unclear if Heather Hironimus can stay in hiding at the domestic abuse shelter given that the documentation ordered by the judge for Heather’s arrest is a writ of bodily attachment pertaining to a civil suit.

“Judge entered order of attachment, allowing law enforcement to arrest Heather. She is in a domestic violence shelter with [redacted]. It’s unclear whether the order of attachment can allow her to be apprehended in the shelter.”

Heather Hironimus’s case has been followed by genital autonomy activists and some have petitioned the White House to stop the removal of the four-year-old boy’s foreskin, and a protest took place in front of the courthouse Tuesday.

[Photo via Intact America on Facebook (blurred to comply with judge’s instructions)]

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