Florida woman checks into domestic violence shelter with son to avoid court order to have him circumcised

A Florida woman has fled with her 4-year-old son in a court battle to stop the boy’s circumcision.

A judge signed an arrest warrant for Heather Hironimus after she failed to turn over the boy Tuesday and appear in court.

"I will allow her to avoid incarceration or get out of jail if she signs the consent to the procedure," said Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Dana Gillen.

Hironimus' attorney said her son is “terrified” to undergo the procedure, and she and the boy checked into a domestic violence shelter on Feb. 23 after her ex-husband won a court battle to have their son circumcised

Dennis Nebus is not Jewish, but he testified that circumcision is “just the normal thing to do.”

He decided two years ago the boy should be circumcised after he noticed he was urinating on his leg due to a condition that prevents retraction of the foreskin, which Hironimus disputes.

Nebus claims his ex-wife had filled their son with fear about circumcision, which the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends and a judge found was “very, very safe.”

"My son has mentioned things to me that he's scared to have his penis cut off," Nebus testified.

A judge found Hironimus in contempt of court Friday, saying she had violated the child custody plan she agreed to when the couple’s son was 1 year old.

The judge also found that she had violated court orders by working with circumcision opponents to “plaster” the child’s name and photos “all over the Internet.”

Hironimus wants the boy to undergo a mental evaluation to determine whether he is mentally and emotionally capable of undergoing the procedure.

The judge that signed the arrest warrant denied the request for an exam and appointed an independent guardian to represent the boy in court.

Watch this video report posted online by WPBF-TV: