Father convicted of negligence causing bodily harm in home castration

[SplitDik (imported)]

This is in my home town too. Brain damage + religion isn't a good mix ...

What's annoying is that he would fight the charge. Despite his possible religious right to circumcise, he obviously botched the operation and you would think he'd realize/admit that. A "good" person would certainly realize that.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columb ... arges.html

Home circumcision of 4-year-old ends in conviction

This story contains disturbing details

Last Updated: Friday, October 16, 2009 | 9:35 AM PT Comments370Recommend202

CBC News

A Vancouver-area father has been found guilty of negligence causing bodily harm after botching a home-circumcision attempt on his four-year-old son as part of a spiritual quest to make things right with God.

The bizarre case centred on a battle over the religious freedoms of the former Jehovah's Witness, who was trying to follow a literal interpretation of the Bible after a series of misfortunes hit his family.

During the trial, the B.C. Supreme Court heard that after a bad motorcycle accident in 2002 left both the man and his wife with brain injuries, he began the religious quest that eventually led him to believe that both he and son needed to be circumcised to celebrate Passover.

'Where would the Israelites have found ice?'—D.J.W., the accused

The man, identified only as D.J.W. to protect the identity of his son, began researching home circumcision on the internet and in the Bible, and by listening to a radio show.

His first attempt to circumcise himself ended up with his foreskin turning black and only part of it cut off. When he couldn't stop the bleeding, he called an ambulance, and a doctor in a hospital emergency room ended up stitching up the bleeding wound.

Wonder Powder used to stop bleeding

The man later returned to the internet for more research and met some other religious fundamentalists, who were also dog breeders. They advised him they used a veterinary powder called BloodStop to halt any bleeding when they circumcised their 13-year-old son.

At $30 a bottle, Blood Stop was too expensive for the man. But during a trip to Washington state to celebrate Passover with a friend, the man found another more affordable product, called Wonder Dust, meant for horses.

The man also contacted several doctors and rabbis, all of whom refused to do the operation either because the boy was too young for a general anesthetic or because the family was not Jewish.

So after a trip to London Drugs to buy razor blades in January 2006, he asked his son if he could cut off his foreskin, so he could be just like dad.

No ice for the Israelites

The man testified in court that, after the boy consented to the circumcision, he fed him some mead — a biblical beverage made from honey — lay him on the kitchen floor, stretched his penis across a cutting board and cut off part of the foreskin.

When asked in court whether the man used ice to ease the boy's pain, he replied, "Where would the Israelites have found ice?"

He then applied the Wonder Dust, gave the boy some ice cream and told him he could watch whatever movies he wanted that week, before heading off to church, leaving the boy in the care of his mother, who could not stand the sight of blood.

The boy spent the next few days walking with his legs wide apart, until a social worker, who caught wind of the operation, brought two police officers to the house to take the boy into protective custody for a medical examination.

After the medical staff found the boy's penis coated in a thick cap of black tarry substance from the Wonder Dust, they decided to remove the rest of the family's children from the home.

Meanwhile, a surgeon removed "a beehive coating" from the boy's penis before properly circumcising him, saying later in court that the boy would likely have ended up with a disfigured penis had the operation not been completed.

Religious freedom argued

In court, the man's lawyer, Douglas Christie, argued the man's desire to fulfil his religious duty negated any criminal intent.

And in her ruling issued on Wednesday, Judge Marion Allan found the man not guilty on charges of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, saying the man did not seriously harm the boy and the razor blade was not used as a weapon.

But the judge also ruled the child could not have consented to the operation and the father should have known he needed a trained professional to perform it — especially given his own first-hand experience — and found him guilty of negligence causing bodily harm.

"Indeed his motivations could be characterized as selfish or even deluded insofar as he believed that he was unable to live in his home at Passover with any uncircumcised male, including his four-year-old son," wrote the judge in her ruling.

The man's lawyer is reportedly considering an appeal on constitutional grounds, and a sentence has yet to be handed down.

[Dana Lane (imported)]

In court, the man's lawyer, Douglas Christie, argued the man's desire to fulfil his religious duty negated any criminal intent.

Holy crap, does his lawyer even know what is in the bible? That could be VERY dangerous!

[jemagirl (imported)]

In court, the man's lawyer, Douglas Christie, argued the man's desire to fulfil his

religious duty negated any criminal intent.

Holy crap, does his lawyer even

know what is in the bible? That could be VERY dangerous!

I agree! Religious freedom is a great thing but then freedom from religion is also an important right. The father in this case asked for something his son was unable to give, informed consent.

[Paolo]

"Dear God:

If you refuse to thin out the herd, please give ME permission to do so!"

[JustPlainCurious (imported)]

Lousy father, and lousy mother for that matter! Thankfully, the poor little boy is still alive and will not have any permanent physical damage, and he and the rest of his siblings are away from their incompetent parents - hopefully for good!

[Losethem (imported)]

In other news, circumcision is now castration. *ugh* Who sensationalized the word on this one, the posting user or the author of the news article?

[kristoff]

In other news, circumcision is now castration. *ugh* Who sensationalized the word on this one, the posting user or the author of the news article?

The original article does not have castration in the title...

[transward (imported)]

In court, the man's lawyer, Douglas Christie, argued the man's desire to fulfil his

religious duty negated any criminal inten

t.

Holy crap, does his lawyer even

know what is in the bible? That could be VERY dangerous!

Hmmm, what an idea. Since the Bible prescribes stoning for what are, by todays standards, rather obscure offenses, and since I can think of several people who's death would make the world a better place, what do you think the odds of getting away with a religious defense. "The Bible Made Me Do It." It seems a whole lot more rational than a "Twinkies Defense."

Transward

[SplitDik (imported)]

The original article does not have castration in the title...

That is funny -- I wrote castration, but I know full well the difference. Freudian slip I guess. I found it while doing my regular searches for news on castration (I don't search for circumcision news), so maybe it had been tagged with the word "castration" or something.

Sorry for sensationalizing!

[HairyHarry (imported)]

Lousy father, and lousy mother for that matter! Thankfully, the poor little boy is still alive and will not have any permanent physical damage, and he and the rest of his siblings are away from their incompetent parents - hopefully for good!

To inform you: Circumcision IS permanent physical damage, that is why some authorities want it done, to damage the penis to make intercourse less satisfying and intense. I hope that the parents get punished further, especially by the son.