Queens Baby Dies on Table During Circumcision


Source: Daily Mail Reporter

A two-year-old boy died on the operating table after circumcision. The devastated parents of Jamaal Coleson Jr, from Queens, are demanding to know why their son died during the procedure at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan.

Jamaal's uncle Jabbar Coleson, 23, said his nephew died on Tuesday about ten hours after he went in to be circumcised. His grieving parents - Taleah Echezerriam and Jamaal Coleson - were too distraught to speak.

Coleson told the New York Post that the hospital was supposed to give the two-year-old a local analgesic, but instead gave him a general one. Jamaal, who would have celebrated his second birthday next month, was said to have "woken up and called for his mother, and then went critical."

Jamaal never regained consciousness and was declared dead at 8.35pm.

Coleson, who lives in Atlanta, told the Post, "I want to know what happened. He was so sweet and energetic and so happy - a very happy child. I am very upset and I am glad I am a couple of hundred miles away. I have time to calm down and say my prayers."

The family are demanding answers and want to know what went wrong. The hospital said in a statement:
We extend heartfelt condolences to the family of the young patient in question. This is a devastating event for his family as well as for the staff at Beth Israel who tried to save his life. We immediately notified the Medical Examiner's Office and requested that they accept this case for further review, which they have. We also are in the process of reporting this case as an unexpected death to the NYS Department of Health.
Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the ME, confirmed an autopsy was conducted yesterday to determine the cause of death, the results of which have yet to be released.

Jamaal's parents were to be married next year. Coleson said, "We just don't understand what happened. Now my mother is out buying a suit for the funeral (instead of the wedding)."

Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan where Jamaal Coleson died while undergoing circumcision.

UPDATE:

Angry relatives report to the New York Post that they have refused the East Side Medical Center's offer to pay or Jamaal's funeral. "I'd rather have him back. I wish there was a way to clone him. We miss him so much," said Jabbar Coleson, uncle of Jamaal.

A spokeswoman for Beth Israel Medical Center said she was unaware of any offer.

The autopsy performed Wednesday on the toddler was "inconclusive," said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city Medical Examiner's Office.

When performed, genital cutting on male babies and children in the United States is executed with general anesthesia if the baby is over 6 months of age, or 10 pounds in weight. Local anesthesia, while not used in the majority of circumcision surgeries performed on U.S. newborns, is exclusively used on young or light weight babies. This seems to be a carry over practice based in mythology in the U.S. from the decades when babies were said to be born "without the ability to feel pain." Today, it is common practice in the U.S. to not use anesthesia of any kind when cutting a newborn baby boy (although this is against the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics), or to use local anesthesia in the first weeks or months post-birth, and general anesthesia when circumcision surgery is performed later.

The family, however, has accused the hospital of giving Jamaal general anesthesia when they expected him to only receive a local analgesic for the 30-minute amputative surgery of his prepuce organ.

"He started to tell his mommy he wasn't feeling well. It took them four hours to get him into surgery. Then they couldn't find the doctor," Coleson said.

The hospital reports they have turned over all information to the New York state Department of Health.


Related Reading:

New York Post article on the tragic death of Jamaal Coleson Jr. can be read here.

Death From Circumcision

Circumcision Information Resource Pages - Death

Doctors Opposing Circumcision - Statement

Circumstitions - Complications

NOHARMM - Complicaitons Incidence

Cut vs. Intact Outcome Statistics

National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers 2010 newsletter

Partial list of those who've died from circumcision

Bollinger, Dan. Lost Boys: An Estimate of U.S. Circumcision-Related Infant Deaths. Thymos: Journal of Boyhood Studies. 2010;4(1):78-90.

Baker RL. Newborn male circumcision: needless and dangerous. Sexual Medicine Today. 1979;3(11):35-36.


Related News Briefs:

Baby Dies in South Dakota

New York Baby Dies

Baby Dies After Brit


Baby Dies After Circumcision Surgery Blood Loss and Heart Failure

More newborn baby boys die from circumcision surgery each year in the United States than from choking, from auto accidents, from suffocation, from SIDS, from sleep positioners and from (the newly banned) drop-side cribs.


Books:

Doctors Re-examine Circumcision

Circumcision: An American Health Fallacy

Circumcision: The Painful Dilemma

Circumcision: A History of the World's Most Controversial Surgery

Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Circumcision

Circumcision: What Every Parent Should Know

Marked in Your Flesh: Circumcision from Ancient Judea to Modern America

Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma

Circumcision: The Rest of the Story

Circumcision Exposed: Rethinking a Medical and Cultural Tradition

40 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Respect His Birthright and Keep Your Son Whole


Children's Genitals Under the Knife


Additional books published on circumcision linked and available here.

Additional information on the prepuce organ ("foreskin" or "clitoral hood"), intact care, and circumcision found at Are You Fully Informed?  

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55 comments:

  1. I'm crying. This breaks my heart. I am so glad we made the decision to not circumsize our son.

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  2. This is heartbreaking . . . I wonder why they were having him circ at 2 years old.

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  3. Any clue as to why they were having him circumcised?

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  4. I really, REALLY hope people don't take this as ammunition to say that all babies should be circumcized at birth. So sad.

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  5. This was painful to read. Heartbreaking. I agree with Maria. I hope this doesn't push people to think that birth is the better option. uggh.

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  6. This is the same hospital that has already been in trouble for other related items:

    http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/04/11/state_details_safety_lapses_at_beth_israel/?page=2

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  7. Perhaps this will open awareness for the BAN. One death is too many.

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  8. There's a risk with every surgery and to take that kind of risk when it's not even necessary and involves a CHILD is just sad :/

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  9. so so terrible. Praying for that poor family.

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  10. they said it was "routine" that means non-therapeutic. They mentioned that he was healthy, energetic, sweet, and happy. No mention of any problem. The only medical reasons to circumcise are penile cancer and gangrene, I doubt he had either one at 2 years old.

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  11. Don't count on it being medically necessary. The chances of a 2 year old really NEEDING to be circumcised are infinitesimally small. And there are a lot of bogus reasons given for circumcising older children. See this important article by a pediatrician very experienced with the care of intact boys. Gives many of the "reasons" a doctor might say/think that a boy "needs" to be circumcised, and what you need to know to realize that it's almost NEVER so.

    http://mothering.com/health/protect-your-uncircumcised-son-expert-medical-advice-for-parents

    Tragically, this boy's circumcision almost certainly did NOT need to happen! Stopping routine circumcision of newborn babies is one thing. But there is also a lot more education that needs to be done to challenge the ignorance and culturally-warped mindset that leads to unnecessary circumcisions after the newborn period.

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  12. ...and some people still want to keep this CRAP legal? How many babies will be sacrificed before people get it through their thick skulls?

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  13. Poor baby.. RIP, sweetheart. My thoughts go out to his family.

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  14. There aren't even any good medical reasons to do it. Name 1 good reason why it could be 'medically necessary' to circumcise a girl? The same applies to a boy. No other infections have a treatment of cutting of a body part. I would equate that to saying "I have an ear infection, please remove my ear."

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  15. I know theses cases are rare (at least in 1st world countries) but WHY would an informed parent risk it...oh, wait, they're NOT informed.

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  16. What I'd like to find is the doctor that told them this was "simple" and "necessary". Because you know there was one.

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  17. I cannot STAND that they throw "simple" in there. NO surgical procedure should be taken so lightly, especially those done needlessly on a toddler or baby.

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  18. Oh sweet Jesus, when will it end???? My heart hurts.

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  19. It is ridiculous that these surgeries are referred to as "easy" or "simple" - it is a surgery. There is always a risk of death or complications. Always. There is NO easy or simple surgery.

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  20. Just this morning, my daughter's male teacher raised his voice and told her circumcision was better...she got into a debate with him. She's 14 and a good debater, she didn't let down. She told him that many many babies die a year in the US alone from circumcision. He threw his head back and called her a liar in front of the whole class. We will be printing this news article and have her place it on his desk.

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  21. bless his little heart...

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  22. Poor little sweetie. The parent's couldn't have known and gone through with it... most don't... but why mess with perfection? I hope they can find peace.

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  23. Beth Israel...of all places to stand in strong denial of malpractice with this one. Poor little angel, your life so cut to prevent some BS that prevented ALL. You must be in Paradise today, because this World is too violent and cruel even to little boys.

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  24. When does the insanity end? And if some unethical US physician diagnosed a toddler w/phimosis being completely ignorant of the fact that it can take until the end of puberty for the prepuce to separate from the glans and be retractable may he or she rot in hell.

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  25. Nothing in life is 100% safe, but circumcision without an immediate medical need is 100% preventable.

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  26. I am saddened by this death, doubly so because it was so easily avoided. Circumcision kills more than 100 American boys each year.

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  27. It's illegal in the US to even poke a girl's genitals with a pin to draw one ceremonial drop of blood (with no religious exemption). This child's crime was being born male. Protect boys too.

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  28. PLEASE write your local and federal legislators. Write a heartfelt letter. Save it. Print it. Send it. Repeat weekly. This practice of sending our baby boys to be harmed "for their own good" can and does result in death. Demand that circumcision be banned. Our sons deserve protection, too!

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  29. There are more dead children all around the world where this comes from. No child should be put in a situation to be getting elective, cosmetic surgery on their genitals. If a girl was put in this situation for cosmetic genital surgery as a child people would be thrown into jail.

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  30. Absolutely. Anyone who says that there is no difference between male circumcision and female circumcision is out of their minds. Its the same horrific act performed on children. I don't understand why one has such a stigma and the other is welcomed... Doctors make around $1500 for each 30 minute procedure. No wonder they're not taking the initiative to stop this!

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  31. This is beyond heartbreaking. This poor little boy died from an unnecessary elective surgery. Foreskin does not kill. Circumcision can and does. I wish parents realized this is a possibility when they sign the consent form to have their baby boy circumcised. I hope his parents can find peace. God rest his little soul. :(

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  32. If the parents had decided to leave their son intact, this poor boy would NOT be dead right now. Circumcision is mutilation, and it leaves babies scarred or dead. :(

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  33. i could just sit and cry reading this. i just keep thinking, what if parents were truly educated on this matter? It's too heartbreaking... a life lost for NO REASON!

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  34. Equal protection for boys please. Cosmetic surgery on a baby's genitals without his consent is sexual assault. This death should never have happened. This boy should have been protected by law from having his genitals cut unnecessarily, just like girls are protected by law. Poor baby.

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  35. It is likely that the consent form disclosed that circumcision can result in death. Alas, such is the insane prejudice toward foreskin that parents are willing to risk their son's life to have it cut off. So, so sad.

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  36. Another unwanted death as a product of our sickened and perverse cultural obsession with surgically disfiguring/sexually assaulting newborn males.

    It's time for Americans to stop pretending like they own their children's genitals. It's vile, sadistic, sexist, and unforgivable. But most of all, unnecessary.

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  37. When will people put the knife down and stop doing a COSMETIC procedure on babies and children that has NO health benefit and kills 100-200 children every year! Foreskin is not a defect! No medical organization in the world recommends this!

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  38. Beth Israel is the same place where Dr. "Zorro" used to carve his initials into cesarean birth mothers! And the PRIVATE hospital covered that up too!

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  39. I think that parents should start acknowledging the fact that they are the ones who have to make informed and responsible decisions for their children. This means truly knowing about the things they choose for them, instead of placing that responsibility on doctors or other people who may not know or may not care. The first step should be to watch a video of an baby being circumcised. I am sure that after watching it no parents would choose to torture their precious babies in such a horrific way... unless they are so blinded by their own circumcision pain, that they choose to stay in denial. Circumcision is simply a crime and plain sexual abuse of an infant.

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  40. http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/page.php?articleID=5792 - fully referenced from published medical literature - solid reasons circumcision should be banned. It's a human rights violation. Women have half as many vaginal orgasms with circumcised vs intact men. There is 80% less sensitivity after circumcision.

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  41. This poor boy. His picture will forever be burned in my head :( He looks like my middle son....I feel like I am living in the Twilight Zone where this procedure is still allowed to be done.

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  42. :( this is soo sad. It breaks my heart when babies die, i couldn't even imagine being the parents of this little boy

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  43. "More newborn baby boys die from circumcision surgery each year in the United States than from choking, from auto accidents, from suffocation, from SIDS, from sleep positioners and from (the newly banned) drop-side cribs."
    This is shocking - do you have a citation? I don't feel I can repeat it without the evidence to back it up...(and I'd like to shout it from the rafters...or at least from facebook)

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  44. Stasi ~ each of the words in the resource list above (choking / auto accidents / suffocation / SIDS / sleep positioners / drop side cribs) is hyperlinked to a related article that discusses these these statistics further. Click on each for more.

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  45. Every single time a general anaesthetic is used there is a chance of death, no matter what the surgery is and no matter what species. Look at how many dogs die from "simple, routine" desexing.

    Every surgery I've ever had I've been warned that there is a very small chance of death, that is why I would never allow surgery for anything that wasn't absolutely necessary, and even then I exhaust all non surgical options first. These parents chose to ignore that simple fact and their son paid the ultimate price.

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  46. thats sad!! breaks my heart!! not to change anything... i was in a doctors office about 4 weeks ago with my new born daughter she was 2 months maybe and i hear d alil bbaby crying and seen the doc with his gloves etc and asked the mother if they were circumsizing her son and she shook her head yes here i am emotional and hormonal im balling i get up pack up my daughter tell the girls at the front to take my name off the list im leaving...im getting my daughter buckled in her carseat and of course im balling cause i know whats happening and whats going to happen after that baby is circumsized and how they go into shock and sleep etc it wasnt even my own kid and i was freaking out i wanted to yell at the parents and the doctor i was so disturbed it ruined my day i will never ever return to this doctors office ever again i couldnt believe it!! never ever if i ever had a son would i take his foreskin that covers a main gland on his body and has so many nerve endings...if the skin wasnt suppose to be there they wouldnt be born with it there!! leave the lil guys intact!! babies dont have a voice but we sure do!! speak for those babies and stop this disturbing non sense!!

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  47. Did you see this article on mass circumcision day in a Filipino town? It's so sad. There's a picture of a boy "trying to control himself" while they circumsized him. Here's the link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110507/ap_on_he_me/as_philippines_circumcision;_ylt=ApD38a4SJr4M4HV3gC5kWMEpTcF_;_ylu=X3oDMTM5NjFhYjBxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTA3L2FzX3BoaWxpcHBpbmVzX2NpcmN1bWNpc2lvbgRjY29kZQNnbXBlBGNwb3MDOARwb3MDOARzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA3BoaWxpcHBpbmVjaQ--

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  48. @sarah - I came to post that same story. Unbelievable. http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/as_philippines_circumcision

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  49. OMG circumsizing an older child is just beyond cruel!

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  50. @Anon...

    OMG circumcising ANY child is just beyond cruel!

    Babies are humans too. Born with equal rights, sensitivity to pain, and deserving of our loving, tender care - not sexual assault at a time they cannot defend themselves.

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  51. Daniel McGuireMay 19, 2011 12:38 PM

    *screams* TAKE THE WHOLE BABY HOME AND LEAVE HIM THAT WAY. &#@%^$!

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  52. You know, I would say that I feel for the parents, but then I realize that it was the parents who forced this on him. THEY had the ultimate responsibility - not the doctors or the hospital.

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  53. Why was he circumcised at all?

    Does anyone the "reason" for this post-neonatal circumcision.

    Was he (mis) diagnosed with any medical condition, that might be abused to justify a circumcision procedure?

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  54. This was my nephew and thnx for the comments. i miss him soo much it hurts to look at pictures of him. he was circumcised at the age of 2 because the doctor said tht his penis was to small to do surgery on so they waited but in the original news paper clipping that we own and it says that he might have an allergic reaction to the medicine or to the surgery. all i know is tht my sister taleea is sueing and its gonna take a while to get use to the fact that hes gone... :((

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