Movie Star Russell Crowe has entered the circumcision debate and used social media on Wednesday in support of a Boynton Beach, Florida mother who is trying to stop her young son from being circumcised.
According to the crowd funding website YouCaring.com, On November 6, 2014, a Florida court decided that a healthy four-year-old boy named Chase must undergo the procedure at the insistence of his father, Dennis Nebus.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.
According to court records, in December 2011, Chase’s mother, Heather Hironimus, signed a parenting agreement which gave Chase’s father permission to have their baby boy circumcised.
The procedure never took place, apparently.
Heather Hironimus says she realized over the years that removing Chase’s foreskin was unnecessary, and the older he became, the greater was the risk from the surgery and the anesthesia.
The mother argues that the surgery is purely cosmetic and the plan she accepted for Chase when he was a baby no longer pertains to her now older, and more aware, boy.
Pediatric urologist Charles Flack told the Florida judge that circumcision is not medically necessary.
As far as Jewish law is concerned, there is absolutely no need for little Chase, who is not at all Jewish, to give up any part of his body. He’s just fine the way he is.
But Judge Jeffrey Gillen ordered that there was no reason the parties shouldn’t abide by the parenting agreement and that the father could go ahead and schedule the procedure.
“Putting aside what they agreed to, if you’re going to enforce this contract, you have to look in what is the best interest of the child, ” Hironimus’ attorney, Taryn Sinatra, told the press, suggesting “The best interest of the child should always trump” the sanctity of a contract.
“My attorney and I are going to be appealing this decision as neither of us believe it should be a decision left to anyone other than Chase, who is 3 1/2 and fully aware, ” Hironimus said in a statement, back in May, adding: “As a stay at home mom, I do not have the funding to be able to fully accomplish this on my own. I am pleading with fellow intactavists, parents and all others to help me save my son, his foreskin, his rights and hopefully other children from allowing the ‘system’ to make these decisions.”
She started this online crowd funding page, which to date has raised $3, 241 out of the $25, 000 target amount. Not great.
Enter Russel Crowe, who retweeted a tweet to his 1.6 million followers that is trying to raise funds and support for Hironimus who has been gagged by the courts.
“@russellcrowe Mom court-ordered to circumcise healthy 4yo, is under gag order. Help needed! http://www.youcaring.com/other/saving-chase/259991 #savingchase #i2, ” the tweets read.
Or he could just write the nice lady a $25K check, for heaven’s sake.
