Judge tells court father had 'right to know' his son was circumcised

Gordon Deegan

A father has told a court that he only became aware that his young son was circumcised when getting him ready for bed one night.

At the Family Law Court, the father told Judge Alec Gabbett that his former partner and mother of their boy did not inform him that their son had undergone a scheduled circumcision procedure in hospital.

After hearing that the father was not informed, Judge Alec Gabbett told the mother, “Dad has a right to know” about medical issues concerning the boy, who is under the age of six.

At the court hearing, solicitor Lisa Rynne for the father, said that her client, who is a guardian of the child, “had no idea” about the circumcision.

The mother, represented by solicitor, Colum Doherty, is the boy’s primary carer while the father has access to the child.

The case was before court after the court previously ordered an expert assessment to provide professional insight into the child's welfare.

The father said when getting his son ready for bed one evening, his son "was covering his private area and he was very upset, and I thought there was something wrong, and then I saw the stitches”.

Judge Gabbett told the court that there is nothing out of the ordinary about getting circumcised, pointing out that 95 per cent of the US male population have had the procedure.

Judge Gabbett said he didn’t know how the mother consented to the procedure on her own.

Judge Gabbett said that it sounds like the mother’s outlook is that “he is just hers”.

On behalf of her client, Ms Rynne stated: “That does seem to be the common theme that she believes that he is just hers.”

Ms Rynne said that in relation to schooling for the boy, the father only found out that his son was attending a certain school through a Facebook post.

Ms Rynne added that the boy “was baptised without my client knowing and all these issues continue to persist- he is never advised in advance”.

Mr Rynne said that on another occasion, the child was brought to hospital with a seizure by the mother, and the father was not told that the child was in hospital at the time.

Mr Rynne said the father only learned that the child was in hospital through a Facebook post by a relative.

Judge Gabbett said that the mother may have been in a blind panic getting the child to hospital, “but Dad has a right to know”.

The expert report recommended that the mother keep a diary of medical and school issues concerning the son to be shared with the father, and Judge Gabbett directed that this take place.

The report also recommended a parenting course for the two, and Judge Gabbett also directed that this take place.

Judge Gabbett said: “Let’s have good communication from here on now, and the parenting course will assist.”