Surgery on Girl Raises Ethical Questions

[Vodstok]

CHICAGO - In a case fraught with ethical questions, the parents of a severely mentally and physically disabled child have stunted her growth to keep their little "pillow angel" a manageable and more portable size.

The bedridden 9-year-old girl had her uterus and breast tissue removed at a Seattle hospital and received large doses of hormones to halt her growth. She is now 4-foot-5; her parents say she would otherwise probably reach a normal 5-foot-6.

The case has captured attention nationwide and abroad via the Internet, with some decrying the parents' actions as perverse and akin to eugenics. Some ethicists question the parents' claim that the drastic treatment will benefit their daughter and allow them to continue caring for her at home.

University of Pennsylvania ethicist Art Caplan said the case is troubling and reflects "slippery slope" thinking among parents who believe "the way to deal with my kid with permanent behavioral problems is to put them into permanent childhood."

Right or wrong, the couple's decision highlights a dilemma thousands of parents face in struggling to care for severely disabled children as they grow up.

"This particular treatment, even if it's OK in this situation, and I think it probably is, is not a widespread solution and ignores the large social issues about caring for people with disabilities," Dr. Joel Frader, a medical ethicist at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital, said Thursday. "As a society, we do a pretty rotten job of helping caregivers provide what's necessary for these patients."

The case involves a girl identified only as Ashley on a blog her parents created after her doctors wrote about her treatment in October's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The journal did not disclose the parents' names or where they live; the couple do not identify themselves on their blog, either.

Shortly after birth, Ashley had feeding problems and showed severe developmental delays. Her doctors diagnosed static encephalopathy, which means severe brain damage. They do not know what caused it.

Her condition has left her in an infant state, unable to sit up, roll over, hold a toy or walk or talk. Her parents say she will never get better. She is alert, startles easily, and smiles, but does not maintain eye contact, according to her parents, who call the brown-haired little girl their "pillow angel."

She goes to school for disabled children, but her parents care for her at home and say they have been unable to find suitable outside help.

An editorial in the medical journal called "the Ashley treatment" ill-advised and questioned whether it will even work. But her parents say it has succeeded so far.

She had surgery in July 2004 and recently completed the hormone treatment. She weighs about 65 pounds, and is about 13 inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter than she would be as an adult, according to her parents' blog.

"Ashley's smaller and lighter size makes it more possible to include her in the typical family life and activities that provide her with needed comfort, closeness, security and love: meal time, car trips, touch, snuggles, etc.," her parents wrote.

Also, Ashley's parents say keeping her small will reduce the risk of bedsores and other conditions that can afflict bedridden patients. In addition, they say preventing her from going through puberty means she won't experience the discomfort of periods or grow breasts that might develop breast cancer, which runs in the family.

"Even though caring for Ashley involves hard and continual work, she is a blessing and not a burden," her parents say. Still, they write, "Unless you are living the experience ... you have no clue what it is like to be the bedridden child or their caregivers."

Caplan questioned how preventing normal growth could benefit the patient. Treatment that is not for a patient's direct benefit "only seems wrong to me," the ethicist said.

Dr. Douglas Diekema, an ethicist at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, where Ashley was treated, said he met with the parents and became convinced they were motivated by love and the girl's best interests.

Diekema said he was mainly concerned with making sure the little girl would actually benefit and not suffer any harm from the treatment. She did not, and is doing well, he said.

"The more her parents can be touching her and caring for her ... and involving her in family activities, the better for her," he said. "The parents' argument was, `If she's smaller and lighter, we will be able to do that for a longer period of time.'"


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This one reminds me of the abortion issue... People don't want it done because it makes them uncomfortable, but they refuse to take any responsibility for the state they leave people in.

[stubbornforgey]

does it say who performed the surgery.?
Thats just fucken wrong :mad:

[XtRaVa]

Why do you think its so wrong? It's wrong that her parents want to be able to safely and easily care for their child?

I dont want to be mean, but the girl has no kind of life, except for the one her parents give her, its not like she would ever be able to do anything without them.

I understand its obviously a moral issue and I dont know what I would do in the same situation, but I dont think its all that wrong, or all that right, its just a decision.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I think the people caring for her should do whatever they feel is going to make it easier.

[XtRaVa]

Exactly. Its their decision, not necessarily good or bad, just a decision they went with for the good of their daughter and for them caring for her. To me it doesnt sound so wrong.

[Vodstok]

That was kind of my point on the whole thing, people want to say "You cant do that, it makes me feel uncomfortable, and i dont think you should"


My response: Fine, when she is a full grown adult, and weighs in excess of 100+ pounds and is between 5 5 and 6 fet long, YOU cart her around like a baby. If you arent willing to step up and lift the burden you have saddled these people with because of your uninvolved opinion, shut up and keep it to yourself.


Same thing with abortion. You dont want the girls getting rid of the babies, that is fine, you take care of all of them.

[The_Return]

"What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil." - Friedrich Nietzsche

[Vodstok]

Originally Posted by The_Return

"What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil." - Friedrich Nietzsche

GREAT quote.

[XtRaVa]

Yeah that is, describes the situation perfectly...