Mother who ran away with her 4-year old son to avoid circumcsion finally consents

A Florida mother who battled for years against her child's father over the boy's circumcision ended Friday by agreeing to the procedure in exchange for her release from jail.Hironimus went missing with the boy in February, ignoring warnings to be in court and allow the circumcision to proceed. She remained missing until her arrest last week, staying in a domestic violence shelter. With her legal options dwindling, she filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of her son, looking for a solution outside state court.

In a remarkable turnaround after a week behind bars for contempt and an initial hearing in which she was ordered to remain jailed, court reconvened and a sobbing Heather Hironimus signed paperwork giving approval for the surgery, recoiling in tears and clasping her shackled hands after it was done.  

The shift, though under duress, threatened the hero status given to Hironimus by a bubbling movement of anti-circumcision advocates who have followed the case's every turn. 

She was completely distraught over the whole proceedings and recoiled in horror after signing the agreement forms. Below are the pictures depicting every emotion she felt:

Georganne Chapin, executive director of Intact America, which advocates against circumcision, said Hironimus had been 'bullied' into signing, calling it the 'saddest commentary on the court'.

'I don't know what's in his head,' she said of Judge Jeffrey Gillen, who presided over the case. 'I don't know how he can sleep at night.'

Hironimus and Nebus had initially agreed to the circumcision in a parenting agreement filed in court, but the mother later changed her mind. 

Circuit and appellate judges sided with the father, but potential surgeons backed out after failing to get the mother's consent and becoming the target of protesters.