pillow angel ( the basic human rights of a child)

Philippines
February 1, 2007 5:27pm CST
I saw an article on the MSN website last week. The article was about the "Ashley treatment". I also looked at blog made by ashley's parents. Ashley is a pillow angel, she can not move, talk, eat on her own and she can not sit upright without support. The story of this family moved me a lot because they were doing their best to cope and looked for ways and means to make their situation bearable. The ashley treatment is someting they came up with. Ashley was given high doses of estrogen to stop her bones from growing thereby ensuring that she will not grow further and gain additional weight (to make it easier for her caregivers to lift and turn her), she also went through a hysterectomy (so that she will not be able to experience the discomfort that comes with menstruation, and for her not to get pregnant, it was a precaution her parents decided on because of the rise in cases wherein handicapped women get raped and pregnant) and an appendectomy. She also went through an operation to ensure that her breast buds will not grow. Some people find these things outrageous for it exploited Ashley's basic human rights. They also think that the parents did it for their own convenience. In my opinion, I think Ashley's parents are just doing what they think is best for their child. It's not easy to raise a child, much more to take care of a handicapped one, some people even give up on their children because of the pressure it put on the family. What do you think?
2 people like this
3 responses
@XxAngelxX (2830)
• Canada
2 Feb 07
Wow! I can't make up my mind on which side of the fence I want to be on. I can understand the parents decisions and it making it a little easier for them, but I am concerned too about letting the child grow naturally. This is a very sad situation all around and I'm not to sure how I feel about it.
• Philippines
2 Feb 07
yeah, we all have ways to deal with troubles and not everybody can understand.
@jmcafam (2890)
• United States
1 Feb 07
The whole thing is just sad. I am teetering on both sides of the issue. I can see where the parents are coming from. And I can see the side of letting her develope normally.