Posted on 01/03/2007 1:14:08 PM PST by Lorianne
SEATTLE — This is about Ashley's dignity. Everybody examining her case seems to agree at least about that.
Ashley is a 9-year-old girl who has static encephalopathy, a severe brain impairment. She cannot walk or talk. She cannot keep her head up, roll over or sit up by herself. She is fed with a tube. Her parents call her "Pillow Angel" because she stays right where they place her, usually on a pillow.
Her parents say they feared that their angel would become too big one day — too big to lift, too big to move, too big to take along on a family outing.
And so they decided to keep her small.
In a highly unusual case that is stirring ethical debate in the medical community and elsewhere, doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital and the parents involved are describing how Ashley has received treatment over the last few years designed to stunt her growth.
The treatment, known as "growth attenuation," is expected to keep Ashley's height at about 4 feet 5 and her weight at about 75 pounds for the rest of her life. Doctors expect her to have a normal lifespan. Had she not been given the treatment, doctors estimate, she would have grown into a woman of average height and weight — about 5 feet 6 and 125 pounds.
The parents' decision has drawn criticism and even outrage from some doctors and caregivers, who say such treatment is a violation of a person's dignity. Some say it's also a violation of the medical oath: First do no harm.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
100% agreement.
Because the STATE does step in for cases like this.
I'm sure the family has lots of health professional give them the spiel how their daughter could the best care at a local institution. The family does not need to worry about cost since the STATE will help pay.
Its not an entitlement but the STATE must ensure it provides for all its citizens. What do you think happens to people like their daughter when the family dies or can no longer take care of them?
It's just this family's good fortune that you are not God and will never judge them. [The rest of us are relieved, too.]
Do you disagree with all medical treatment? I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from.
Would you be saying its sick if a person had an overactive pitutary gland and would have grown to 7'10", and decided to have this therapy done?
Pet humans (sick). They should let her mature normally.
Aside: If people are going to mess with stuff like this, they ought to make ALL humans 1/2 their size to save on resources. Think about it: if people were pint-sized, they would eat less, you coulsd fit more of them on a plane, etc.
Of course, the scientists and rulers would find a reason to keep themselves normal sized. There's a modern Gulliver story there someplace.
NO! You misunderstand their intentions. They aren't doing it for the convenience of the family at all. By keeping her small she can have a better quality of life than if she were in an institution, which would be the reality.
I thought it was sick, until I read the entire piece and THOUGHT it through. This poor child is NOT the usual handicapped kid that can sit in a wheelchair and interact.
Unless you want to rip someone from the womb, limb by limb. Then all bets are off.
I have an aunt, 70 yrs old, who has cared for her severely disabled son all his life. He's now 35. Circumstances and time have finally converged to the point where she is living with another relative and getting help, but the sacrifice that woman has made for her son is immeasurable. The physical toll is unimaginable, much less the emotional one. I find it hard to fault these people.
God bless you.
Yeah, it all sounds so nice and neat and easy on paper, doesn't it?
Wow. The decisions some families must face are enormously difficult and complex. I am in no position to judge and can understand the concerns from all directions. There is one thing that appears certain however...her family loves her and is doing what they believe will give her a good quality of life. And that is all I need to know.
Spot on
Walking in another person shoes always makes one develop astounding clarity.
And I say you are wrong, wrong, wrong. They want to continue to be able to care for her. She won't know how tall she is, or how much she weighs, and won't, and cannot, care. Nor does it matter. What DOES matter, is that she be able to be kept at home with people who love her caring for her, as long as possible.
You really need to rethink your position on this.
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