Heather Hironimus and her 4-year-old son Chase recently went in to hiding when a judge ordered that he be circumcised according to his father’s wishes.
Heather and Chase’s father, Dennis Nebus have been estranged for four years, and during that time they have been at odds over the decision to have their son circumcised. Heather finds it barbaric and unnecessary, and Dennis is adamant that it be done. 4-year-old Chase is terrified of the procedure.
Heather is the one that took the case to court hoping to end the the argument once and for all, but the judge sided with Chase’s father, and ordered that the boy be circumcised.
Heather then checked herself and her son in to a domestic violence shelter to protect him. She failed to show up to a court appearance to hand Chase over for the procedure, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Her lawyer is requesting that Chase be psychologically evaluated before he has the procedure done, because he is so traumatized.
“The child is scared to death of the procedure and doesn’t want it. There have been no safeguards put in place to protect the child’s psychological and emotional condition with regards to this surgery,” Hunker told the Sun Sentinel.
Hironimus has gained support from an anti-circumcision group across the United States, called “Chase’s Guardians.” They have helped pay for her legal fees.
What are your thoughts? Should a child ever be forced to be circumcised once they are old enough to understand the procedure? Should a court order be issued for something that it is not medically necessary?
Old enough to understand the procedure? What he understands is his mom’s opinions and reactions, nothing more. He is FOUR. He understands how to pee in the potty and how to feed himself. He does not have the mental ability to think rationally and logically, nor to understand a highly complex procedure.
Still, I think it is wise to have him evaluated psychologically. It’s obvious his mother is the one who has, at least in part, traumatized him over this MINOR procedure. Yes, it is a minor procedure, and while some do feel it is unnecessary it can prevent numerous medical issues down the road. Heck, my own son had a MAJOR surgical procedure because he was cryptorchid; had he not had it, his hidden testicle would have been rendered unviable, which in itself is not a big deal (he does have another one after all); but we chose to go ahead with the surgery because over time, the nonviable testicle can cause many issues, including cancer. As with my own son, this boy’s parents need to weigh the risks against the benefits; in most cases, the risks do NOT outweigh the benefits of such a minor and common procedure.
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