A Florida woman who fled with her 4-year-old son to keep his circumcision from going forward has filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the boy . Heather Hironimus , who filed the complaint late Monday , is hoping a federal judge might intervene where state judges have n't . The complaint is repeating her claims that surgery on her 4-year-old son is n't necessary , that the boy does n't want it , and that his constitutional rights are being violated . Aside from seeking to stop the procedure , Hironimus is trying to avoid her own arrest . Her arrest was ordered after she fled in February and ignored a judge 's demand that she appear in court and allow the circumcision to go forward . Mother : Heather Hironimus fled with her son despite a judge 's order to appear in court and to allow the circumcision favored by the child 's father , Dennis Nebus , to go forward . Father : Dennis Nebus right , sits in court with his lawyers May Cain and William Snihur , Jr. , in a continuing legal battle with Hironimus over circumcision ( March 10 , 2015 file photo ) Hironimus and the boy 's father , Dennis Nebus , have been warring since her pregnancy . They were never married but share custody of their child . In a parenting agreement filed in court , the two agreed to the boy 's circumcision . Hironimus later changed her mind , giving way to a long court battle . Circuit and appellate judges have sided with Nebus , but potential surgeons have backed out after failing to get the mother 's consent and becoming the target of anti-circumcision protesters . Though circumcision remains popular in Judeo-Christian tradition , religion had not been a driver in seeking the cutting of the boy 's foreskin in this case . Nebus called it 'just the normal thing to do . ' Supporters of Heather Hironiumus , Anthony Mollical and Zeresh Altork , gather outside of the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach where Hironiumus was meant to appear with her child ( March 10 , 2015 file photo ) Fight : Supporters backing Heather Hironimus are seen outside a courthouse on March 10 . In the new filing , though , Hironimus tries to use the child 's faith as a defense against the surgery , saying he is a Christian and citing New Testament passages to bolster her case that the practice is discouraged by their beliefs . Both parents have been under a gag order since December . Hironimus ' attorney , Thomas Hunker , told the Associated Press that he could n't reveal where his client was , but that she was fighting on behalf of a child who is frightened by the idea of undergoing surgery . Given the boy 's age and the fact that he has voiced his own opposition to circumcision , Hunker said , the procedure could be particularly scarring . 'This could have a profound negative impact , a long-lasting if not permanent negative impact , on the child 's psychological condition , ' he said Tuesday . Hunker did not return a message seeking comment from Daily Mail Online . Attorneys representing Nebus declined to comment to Daily Mail Online , citing the order . An attorney for Nebus did not return a call seeking comment from the Associated Press . Circumcision rates have fallen in the U.S. , but a majority of boys still undergo the procedure . Meantime , a bubbling movement of so-called anti-circumcision 'intactivists ' has made the case a rallying cry against a surgery they view as barbaric .
Heather Hironimus and the boy 's father , Dennis Nebus , have been warring since her pregnancy . They were never married but share custody of their 4-year-old child . In a parenting agreement filed in court , the two agreed to the boy 's circumcision . Hironimus later changed her mind , giving way to a long court battle . She filed a federal civil rights complaint February . It repeats the claims that surgery on her 4-year-old son is n't necessary , that the boy does n't want it , and that his constitutional rights are being violated . Hironimus is also trying to avoid her own arrest . The arrest was ordered after she fled in late Monday and ignored a judge 's demand that she appear in court and allow the surgery to go forward .