On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:43:02 -0800, stoney <stoney@the.net> wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6229799.stm

Thursday, 4 January 2007, 15:54 GMT

Treatment keeps girl child-sized

<SNIP>
Very sad situation.
I think they did the right thing.

http://novus-ordo-seclorum.us/

The Ashley Treatment is wrong. Wrong in so many fragging ways.

They
treat Ashley as if she was a dog.

You never take away a person's
humanity. You never make them less human.

The parents, the doctors had
no right to do this.

Ashley is nine now. In the next 10 or 20 years they might find a
treatment or cure.

I mean we can take cells and grow a liver or a
heart. There is hope for Ashley, there is hope for everyone.

If this
was my child I could never do this.

There is no such thing as false hope, there is only hope.

I do not like the term (pillow angel). She is not a pillow angel.

She
is not a baby doll. She is not a dog or cat that you can spay and
neuter. She is a human being and should always be treated as one.

Her
parents and doctors are both sick.

The doctors should have their
medical license taken away.

http://novus-ordo-seclorum.us/

stoney wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6229799.stm

Thursday, 4 January 2007, 15:54 GMT

Treatment keeps girl child-sized

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.

Dr Douglas Diekema from the University of Washington in Seattle, who was
on the ethics committee that gave the go-ahead for Ashley's treatment,
told the BBC that the panel agreed "because the parents convinced us it
was in fact in this little girl's best interests".

"If she were smaller it would be much easier for them to continue to
provide a much more personal level of care," he said.

But Agnes Fletcher of the UK's Disability Rights Commission said is was
"unnecessary medical treatment to deal with what is essentially a social
problem", referring to "the poverty and lack of support" faced by
families with disabled children.

'Improve her life'

Ashley's parents wrote in their blog: "A fundamental and universal
misconception about the treatment is that it is intended to convenience
the caregiver.

"Rather, the central purpose of the treatment is to improve Ashley's
quality of life."

Ashley has static encephalopathy, a rare brain condition which will not
improve. Her parents call her "Pillow Angel", because she does not move
from wherever they put her, usually on a pillow.

The couple decided three years ago to take steps to minimise their
daughter's adult height and weight.

In July 2004 Ashley began hormone treatment, through patches on the
skin, that is expected to reduce her untreated height by 20% and weight
by 40%.

Abuse fears

Ashley's parents said the decision to remove their daughter's uterus and
breast buds was for the girl's comfort and safety.

"Ashley has no need for her uterus since she will not be bearing
children," they said, adding that the decision means she will not
experience the menstrual cycle and the bleeding and discomfort commonly
associated with it.

The operation also removed the possibility of pregnancy if Ashley were
ever the victim of sexual abuse, they said.

The removal of the girl's breast buds was also done in part to avoid
sexual abuse, but was carried out primarily so she would not experience
discomfort when lying down, the parents said.

The couple emphasised their love for their daughter and said the amount
of criticism their choice of treatment attracted had surprised them.

"If the concern has something to do with the girl's dignity being
violated, then I have to protest by arguing that the girl lacks the
cognitive capacity to experience any sense of indignity," they said.

"The oestrogen treatment is not what is grotesque here. Rather, it is
the prospect of having a full-grown and fertile woman endowed with the
mind of a baby."

/end


--
Fundies and trolls are cordially invited to
shove a wooden cross up their arses and rotate
at a high rate of speed. I trust you'll
be 'blessed' with a plethora of splinters.

http://novus-ordo-seclorum.us/

The Ashley Treatment is wrong. Wrong in so many fragging ways. They
treat Ashley as if she was a dog. You never take away a person's
humanity. You never make them less human. The parents, the doctors had
no right to do this.

Ashley is nine now. In the next 10 or 20 years they might find a
treatment or cure. I mean we can take cells and grow a liver or a
heart. There is hope for Ashley, there is hope for everyone. If this
was my child I could never do this.

There is no such thing as false hope, there is only hope.

I do not like the term (pillow angel). She is not a pillow angel.

She
is not a baby doll. She is not a dog or cat that you can spay and
neuter. She is a human being and should always be treated as one. Her
parents and doctors are both sick. The doctors should have their
medical license taken away.

http://novus-ordo-seclorum.us/

The Ashley Treatment is wrong. Wrong in so many fragging ways. They
treat Ashley as if she was a dog. You never take away a person's
humanity. You never make them less human. The parents, the doctors had
no right to do this.

Ashley is nine now. In the next 10 or 20 years they might find a
treatment or cure. I mean we can take cells and grow a liver or a
heart. There is hope for Ashley, there is hope for everyone. If this
was my child I could never do this.

There is no such thing as false hope, there is only hope.

I do not like the term (pillow angel). She is not a pillow angel. She
is not a baby doll. She is not a dog or cat that you can spay and
neuter. She is a human being and should always be treated as one. Her
parents and doctors are both sick. The doctors should have their
medical license taken away.

http://novus-ordo-seclorum.us/
The Ashley Treatment is wrong. Wrong in so many fragging ways. They
treat Ashley as if she was a dog. You never take away a person's
humanity. You never make them less human. The parents, the doctors had
no right to do this.

Ashley is nine now. In the next 10 or 20 years they might find a
treatment or cure. I mean we can take cells and grow a liver or a
heart. There is hope for Ashley, there is hope for everyone. If this
was my child I could never do this.

There is no such thing as false hope, there is only hope.

I do not like the term (pillow angel). She is not a pillow angel. She
is not a baby doll. She is not a dog or cat that you can spay and
neuter. She is a human being and should always be treated as one.

Her
parents and doctors are both sick. The doctors should have their
medical license taken away.

http://novus-ordo-seclorum.us/
stoney wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6229799.stm

Thursday, 4 January 2007, 15:54 GMT

Treatment keeps girl child-sized

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.

Dr Douglas Diekema from the University of Washington in Seattle, who was
on the ethics committee that gave the go-ahead for Ashley's treatment,
told the BBC that the panel agreed "because the parents convinced us it
was in fact in this little girl's best interests".

"If she were smaller it would be much easier for them to continue to
provide a much more personal level of care," he said.

But Agnes Fletcher of the UK's Disability Rights Commission said is was
"unnecessary medical treatment to deal with what is essentially a social
problem", referring to "the poverty and lack of support" faced by
families with disabled children.

'Improve her life'

Ashley's parents wrote in their blog: "A fundamental and universal
misconception about the treatment is that it is intended to convenience
the caregiver.

"Rather, the central purpose of the treatment is to improve Ashley's
quality of life."

Ashley has static encephalopathy, a rare brain condition which will not
improve. Her parents call her "Pillow Angel", because she does not move
from wherever they put her, usually on a pillow.

The couple decided three years ago to take steps to minimise their
daughter's adult height and weight.

In July 2004 Ashley began hormone treatment, through patches on the
skin, that is expected to reduce her untreated height by 20% and weight
by 40%.

Abuse fears

Ashley's parents said the decision to remove their daughter's uterus and
breast buds was for the girl's comfort and safety.

"Ashley has no need for her uterus since she will not be bearing
children," they said, adding that the decision means she will not
experience the menstrual cycle and the bleeding and discomfort commonly
associated with it.

The operation also removed the possibility of pregnancy if Ashley were
ever the victim of sexual abuse, they said.

The removal of the girl's breast buds was also done in part to avoid
sexual abuse, but was carried out primarily so she would not experience
discomfort when lying down, the parents said.

The couple emphasised their love for their daughter and said the amount
of criticism their choice of treatment attracted had surprised them.

"If the concern has something to do with the girl's dignity being
violated, then I have to protest by arguing that the girl lacks the
cognitive capacity to experience any sense of indignity," they said.

"The oestrogen treatment is not what is grotesque here. Rather, it is
the prospect of having a full-grown and fertile woman endowed with the
mind of a baby."

/end


--
Fundies and trolls are cordially invited to
shove a wooden cross up their arses and rotate
at a high rate of speed. I trust you'll
be 'blessed' with a plethora of splinters.

First reading: Horror at what had been done.
Second reading: Hrmmmm.....
Third (very slow) reading: Those are wonderful parents.. as are the
medical folk involved in the treatment. I wish them well - and feel
their daughter is very lucky.