A mother fighting on behalf of her child will often go to extremes to protect
what she believes is right for the child. In a case that just wrapped
up in Delray Beach,
a mother took the law into her own hands to try to prevent her son’s
circumcision.
Heather Hironimus and her son’s father initially agreed to the surgery
in a court-filed parenting agreement, but Hironimus later changed her
mind. Back in court, the judges sided with the father, and the circumcision
agreement remained valid. Desperate to prevent the surgery, Hironimus
fled with her 4-year-old son in February. She missed a court ordered appearance
and remained missing until she was arrested in May. She attempted to file
a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of her son, but her attorney
withdrew the case shortly after. Hironimus spent a week in jail before
returning to court. There, Judge Jeffrey Gillen told Hironimus that she
would be jailed indefinitely unless she signed the consent agreement.
Sobbing, Hironimus signed the agreement. She still faces a criminal charge
of interfering with
child custody.
This case drew much attention from anti-circumcision protestors and “intactivists,”
who feel that Hironimus was bullied into signing the consent form.
After Hironimus signed, Judge Gillen told the parents, “You are both
going to continue to be the parents to this young man. You’re going
to have to learn how to deal with that in an amicable, friendly, civil
manner. You’re going to have to always take into consideration what’s
in your child’s best interest. To the extent that you may differ
on things, you’re going to have to talk them out. That’s what
parents do in a civilized society. You do not take the law into your own
hands.”
Read the original article
here.