Woman suing after tip of baby’s penis cut off during circumcision

REGINA— A Regina mother has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence after the tip of her baby’s penis was severed during a circumcision.

In an interview, the woman says she and her husband are worried about their son’s self-esteem as he grows up.

The circumcision happened last November when the boy was nine-days old. The mother has filed a statement of claim against the doctor, his business, and an unidentified intern she believes did the procedure. The woman, whom The Canadian Press is not naming to protect the identity of the child, said she and her husband took their newborn to the Victoria East Medical Clinic in Regina for the procedure.

“It was already taking too long,” she said, remembering how quick the procedure had been for her older son eight years earlier. “I could hear the baby crying so much.”

She said Dr. Owen Miller, the physician they understood was going to perform the circumcision, came into the waiting area and was apologetic.

“He came out and he said, ‘There’s a problem. We have to call the ambulance,’ ” the mother recalled.

The lawsuit adds, “After the botched surgery, Miller informed the plaintiff (mother) that his intern performed the surgery.”

The mother said she broke down and couldn’t control her crying.

“Someone just told me he was performing some practice on my baby, that’s what it sounded like,” she said. “I couldn’t even talk.”

Lawyer Kolade Oladokun, who’s representing the mother, said any damages awarded in the suit could help pay for future cosmetic surgery for the boy.

In an email, Miller declined to comment, but in a statement of defence filed with the court he denies acting negligently.