Penis amputation before appeals court

Lawyers for a Kentucky man told an appeals court he had his penis removed without his consent when he went to a Kentucky hospital to be circumcised in 2007. Philip Seaton is appealing a jury verdict that sided with the urologist who did the surgery, the State Journal of Frankfort, Ky., reported. Urologist John Patterson contended the amputation was medically necessary because he discovered cancer in the penis during the circumcision procedure. Seaton said the forms he signed before the surgery did not authorize Patterson to remove his client's penis. The Kentucky Court of Appeals has been asked to overturn the earlier verdict siding with Patterson. In testimony before the court Tuesday, Appellate Judge Janet Stumbo asked the doctor's attorney whether there was an immediate threat to Seaton's life. "They could have stopped right there, woken him up," Stumbo said. "Was it truly an emergency? I think that's the question."