After week in jail, Florida mom agrees to son’s circumcision

A Florida woman who was jailed after fleeing with her son to avoid the boy’s circumcision is giving up her yearslong fight over the surgery.

Thirty-one-year-old Heather Hironimus signed paperwork Friday to allow the procedure to go forward and facilitate her release. Her decision came after a morning court hearing.

It was a remarkable turnaround for a woman who waged a war against the boy’s father, but one that came after she spent a week in jail and faced dwindling legal options.

Hironimus went missing in February with her child and ignored a judge’s warning to appear in court or risk imprisonment. She was found at a shelter last week and arrested.

The case has been closely watched by anti-circumcision activists who say the removal of the foreskin is barbaric.

This story was originally published May 22, 2015 at 10:35 AM with the headline "After week in jail, Florida mom agrees to son’s circumcision."