An estranged Florida couple's fight over whether to circumcise their four-year-old son has become the subject of public debate after the dispute sparked a prolonged court battle.
The usually private procedure, denounced by some as barbaric, has managed to garner protests and the rapt attention of a movement of self-proclaimed "intactivists," the Associated Press reported. While the father, Dennis Nebus, is in favor of the procedure, the mother, Heather Hironimus, opposes it.
"I couldn't speak when I was cut, but I can speak now," said Thomas Frederiksen, a 39-year-old machinist who traveled from Orlando to protest, wearing a red beret and "I (Heart) My Foreskin" T-shirt.
"People are not OK with a 4-year-old boy being circumcised - a conscious, articulate boy. That's just not OK," Friedman said. "Not everyone is against circumcisions, but I think everyone is against a 4-year-old's circumcision."
Even though judges have ruled in favor of the father, the possible closure of the legal chapter has done little to mute the anti-circumcision advocates, according to ABC News.
Initially, Chase's circumcision was agreed by both parents. However when it came time to undergo the procedure, the mother backed out after having researched the subject further.
Over the years, both the circuit court and the Fourth District Court of Appeal have ruled in favor of Nebus, according to court documents.
"Just the normal thing to do," the father said, according to the court files, which do not indicate whether the circumcision is being done for religious reasons. "To me, it's not worth it to put my son's life at risk for a cosmetic procedure," the mother said.
Even though circumcision rates have fallen in the U.S., a majority of boys still undergo the removal of their foreskin at the suggestion of a doctor, for religious or cultural reasons, Philly.com reported.
Last month, the CDC released a draft of long-awaited federal guidelines on circumcision, stopping short of telling parents they should choose the procedure, but saying medical evidence shows benefits clearly outweigh risks.
