The Ashley Treatment

Who decides what qualifies as an acceptable quality of life? That, my friends, was the interesting question posed for myself and over 150 of my classmates to try to answer. We have been asked to debate the issues that surround a little girl named "Ashley". Ashley, is a ten year old Seattle, Washington resident, that was born with a rare, debilitating disorder called "static encephalopathy (of unknown etiology)". In layman's terms, the diagnosis means that the doctors have been unable to determine why she is the way she is. (The fact that the "I have no fucking clue" diagnosis even exists gives me the utmost confidence in the advancements in medical knowledge...how about you?) To break the literal terminology apart: static encephalopathy = profoundly severe brain damage, of an unknown (etiology = origin). Her doctors believe that her prognosis for improvement is virtually nonexistent, and that her mental state will remain in infancy for the duration of her life. She is non-ambulatory, so, as a result, she is unable to feed or clean herself, change positions independently or even maintain eye contact for a sustained period of time. Because of these challenges, Ashley is completely dependent on her parents (her sole caregivers, outside of some help from her grandmothers, as stated on their website).

In a highly controversial decision, Ashley's parents (who prefer to remain anonymous), elected to have their daughter undergo a series of medical treatments including: stunting her growth through estrogen treatment, removing some of her organs (appendix and uterus), and removing the beginning stages of breasts (known as "breast buds"). They are quoted as saying that all of this was done in order to give Ashley a better quality of life -- which, as stated above, is the point of contention for people on both sides of the issue. The case began receiving international attention after Ashley's parents created a site to explain "their side of the story". As to be expected, site provides most of the parental opinion on the case. They also state on the site that after an exhaustive, yet unsuccessful, search for "qualified professional care", they have chosen to care for Ashley at home, along with her two younger siblings.

So, after a few days of researching the case, I have formulated my opinion, but, I am more interested in the opinions that you, the readers have. So, comment, I'd like to hear them. Here are some links to get you started if your interested in learning more about the case.

Peace.