'Peter Pan' surgery???

[albacized]

Here's a story that's surely to be controversial...but I can understand the parent's point of view. Their little girl was born with severe physical and mental disabilities-she's now 9 years old. She apparently can't walk or sit upright and has to be constantly watched over.

 

The surgery that's been done (in conjuction to hormone treatment) is intended to stunt her growth so that she always remains small-she is currently around 4 1/2' tall. Here's the article that tells the rest of the story:

 

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16473471/

[KevinB]

the wanting to keep her a more manageable size, I can understand , since afterall she is bed ridden, but the removing of the breasts and gentials is just mutilation in my eyes.

I can think of better mechanical means to help them out, rather than surgical.

[charloots]

THAT is tuff to read...incredibly sad.

[LKB3rd]

It sure is pretty dramatic a thing to do, seemingly to make it more convenient for her parents and caregivers.

[albacized]

This is an interesting argument. How many of these people who knock the ethics of these actions actually consider the situation? To me, it's just another example of where people are incapable of seeing things through other people's eyes. Instead, they apply the standards they were subjected to when they were growing up and think the world should live by those same standards.

[RnR]

It is a tough read. The last line of the article is a quote from the parents.

 

"Unless you are living the experience ... you have no clue what it is like to be the bedridden child or their caregivers."

 

That works for me.

[DarkSkies]

RnR said it best - Amen!

[Vinny]

I believe it is also innaccurate. I do not believe the surgical aspects were to keep her "small." Rather, because she has been subjected to massive hormone injections (estrogen for one), they removed the uterus and breasts because the hormones greatly increased the risk of cancer in these tissues.