Treatment keeps girl child-sized | NowPublic News Coverage

Treatment keeps girl child-sized

by laurascott | January 5, 2007 at 05:16 pm

752 views | 5 Recommendations | 4 comments

Parents of a severely disabled girl in the US have revealed that they are keeping her child-sized in order to give her a better life.
The nine-year-old, named Ashley, has the mental ability of a three-month-old baby and cannot walk or talk.

Along with hormone doses to limit her growth, Ashley's parents also opted for surgery to block breast growth and had her uterus and appendix removed.

They say the treatment will help to improve her quality of life.

Ashley's parents, Seattle residents who have not given their names, went public over their daughter's treatment in a blog launched on 1 January.

Their decision came after information about Ashley's case was published in a US medical journal last year, triggering considerable debate and criticism.

Ashley's parents say that because she will remain the weight of a child, it will be easier for them to move her around, bathe her and involve her in family activities - movement that will benefit her physical and mental well-being.

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razordu30

at 20:16 on January 5th, 2007

I read about this before, and I'm just as disgusted with it now as I was then. The slippery slope backing the rationale of this procedure is astonishing. Preventing a child's physical growth on the basis of convenience is ludicrous.

What next? Removal of her limbs and carrying her around in a backpack her whole life? Why not? She'd be "easier for them to move...around, bathe her and involve her in family activities..." What complete garbage.

Raising a handicapped child is difficult - but screwing around with her hormones, ripping out her uterus, and surgically preventing breast growth to make things easier to manage is irresponsible.

The doctor should have his license revoked, and the daughter should be relocated to a foster family willing to put in the effort. Maybe if her biological parents grow old and end up in a retirement home, someone can use futuristic technology to shrink them down and turn them into a freak show so it's easier to turn them over while accessing their bed pan. Maybe then the asinine logic will dawn on them.

Sarah D.

at 02:57 on January 7th, 2007

razordu30,

I find your distain interesting. I have a question for you, do you support abortion?

Victoria Revay

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 17:56 on January 6th, 2007

At NowPublic, this is high praise from NowPublic editors! Your story is now on the home page for awhile, and everywhere else the “good stuff” box shows up. Many thanks for your great work.

Thanks Laurascott! This story needs to be discussed and debated. Victoria