Judge: Father May Order Halt To Son’s Circumcision
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
CHICAGO — A judge in a case closely watched by those who oppose circumcision sided yesterday with a divorced man who did not want his 9-year-old son to undergo the procedure.
Circuit Judge Jordan Kaplan said circumcision is “an extraordinary medical procedure” for a 9-year-old and that the boy can decide for himself when he turns 18.
The boy’s father sued to block the operation in a dispute with his ex-wife. The couple’s 2003 divorce decree gave the father the right to be consulted before the boy underwent any “extraordinary” non-emergency procedure.
The father said he believed surgical removal of the boy’s foreskin could cause long-term physical and psychological harm. The child’s mother wanted the procedure to prevent recurring infections. She testified that the boy had suffered five bouts of painful inflammation and had begged her to help him.
