A follow up post about the "Ashley Treatment"
Categories: Just for moms, Just for dads, Health & safety
Back in November of last year, I posted about a family who'd used surgical and hormonal treatments to keep their severely disabled child from physically maturing. At the time, the information I read stated that the parents were motivated by a desire to continue caring for their child in their home, and that this was the way to ensure they'd be able to.A couple of days ago, we got an email from Terri Mauro (she writes Parenting Special Needs for About.com) letting us know that the girl's family had started a blog to tell their story. I read everything they'd written about their daughter, her treatment (which they call the "Ashley Treatment"), and their decision to go public with their story. Like every story, there is much more to it than what I first heard.
Now that I have more information, I still think that this treatment ought to be carefully considered by the medical community, and by the general population, with close attention to patient rights, ethics, and the definition of "medical necessity," and I also think that the parents are absolutely doing what they believe is right and best for their child -- they are improving her quality of life.
I liked what one doctor had to say:
"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."
This is a really complex story -- the only simple thing about it is seeing that Ashley's parents chose the treatment to make life better for her, not to make things easier on themselves. It seems to me that no matter which side of the ethical debate you find yourself on, you can hardly judge them for that. I'm really glad they decided to start their blog, and thanks again to Terri Mauro for letting me know about it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SM 1-05-2007 @ 11:26AM
I hope everyone will read Ashley's story before passing judgment. It's obvious that her family cares for her deeply and are solely concerned about her comfort and quality of life.
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