tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post5966949601463874202..comments2024-03-16T16:44:18.220-07:00Comments on Bad Cripple: Dueling Editorials: Singer Versus Smith and Scary Revelationswilliam Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-67914755667164932202012-03-19T13:17:21.320-07:002012-03-19T13:17:21.320-07:00Lilacsigil, I too find it troubling the Ashley Tre...Lilacsigil, I too find it troubling the Ashley Treatment seems to be directed at young girls. If the stories in the Guardian are true that is changing. Boys have supposedly been growth attenuation. <br />Elizabeth, When first heard about what had been done in January of 2007 I was stunned. I wandered my house muttering to myself this cannot be true. No MD would do this. No ethics committee would approve this. Fast forward to today, and I wonder why I was so shocked. I grossly underestimated the ingrained bias against people like Ashley. <br />Matthew, I am delighted you replied. You are far more aware of the issues int he UK than I am from afar. Peter Singer has not added anything new to the Ashley story since it broke in 2007. An odd choice for the Guardian indeed. Your points about sterilization are well taken. We are dealing with the aftermath of this in several states, most notably North CArolina.<br /><br />Catherine, I have no idea how to reply to your comment. I for one cannot imagine how any person could consider much less implement the so called Ashley Treatment. Yet, I am not one for an absolute ban. The fact the procedure has gone underground is deeply disturbing.william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-15410089578848255002012-03-18T13:55:42.450-07:002012-03-18T13:55:42.450-07:00I know personally of one case. The children of th...I know personally of one case. The children of this family tend to be big, heavy kids and the child who needed total care looked like he was heading that way. It has made the care easier, and so better for the child.<br /><br />A big, heavy person is not going to get as good care in an institution or from most caregivers is a fact of life. Too much work and effort to move them. I care for my MIL and mother. MIL weighs 180 lbs and my mother 70lbs. It's no contest as to who is easier to maneuver, clean and help physically. I am unable to safely move my mother in law without some sort of help. It takes more time, effort and trouble.<br /><br />Still, I find it horrifying to mutilate, and yes, that is what this is, mutilation for ease of care. I find this a direct violation of the Hippocratic Oath. There are a lot of things that would make care easier, cut off the limbs, for that matter. Why not just end their lives, if difficulty of care is such an issue? <br /><br />However, parents who care for such a child feel that the choice should be theirs as they are on the front line. They want total control of deciding what is ultimately best for the child.Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11149885637140617891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-36809458623245997502012-03-18T10:50:27.383-07:002012-03-18T10:50:27.383-07:00It's not only with cognitive disabilities - wi...It's not only with cognitive disabilities - with conditions that cause disfigurement, charity publicity often focuses on the cute children before they become significantly disfigured. Our society sentimentalises children, and there are many stories of services dropping off as disabled children move into adulthood.Matthew Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16675719484819810707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-55550483230251756922012-03-18T08:52:46.986-07:002012-03-18T08:52:46.986-07:00I often get the feeling that children with disabil...I often get the feeling that children with disabilities are considered cute, while adults with disabilities are considered annoying, especially when it comes to cognitive disabilities. So it makes sense to keep them like children... In the same vein, AD actually calls his daughter "a baby" at some point. I also love the argument for removing the girls' breast buds: the wheelchair straps might make them incomfortable. Seriously?Lounahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11031075401203936622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-45281548202706513842012-03-17T10:44:10.349-07:002012-03-17T10:44:10.349-07:00I find it puzzling that the Guardian gets Peter Si...I find it puzzling that the Guardian gets Peter Singer to contribute a supportive article about the "Ashley" treatment - he is an extremist who regards the life of lab animals like guinea pigs and rats to be of equal or greater importance to those of human beings, particularly those who are disabled. There are a whole host of people like that on the fringes of debate - among them Richard Stallman who, asked about people who published closed-source software because they need to feed their kids, said that people just shouldn't have kids. At least Stallman is famous for his earlier contributions to software and computer culture (founding the GNU project, for example) - Singer is and always was just a jerk.<br /><br />Sterilisation was standard practice in some places (including Australia) for girls with much milder disabilities than "Ashley" much more recently than many people imagine - it was outlawed in Australia only in 1992, and before that it was very common. The language used, also, is highly derogatory, and the term "pillow angel" could be used for any young and bedridden person (Ashley is not bedridden) - Lynn Gilderdale and others in that condition spring to mind. The term "static encephalopathy" is being misused; it in fact means brain damage that will not get worse, and can be applied to people with cerebral palsy.Matthew Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16675719484819810707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-51396787102827479312012-03-16T22:22:12.033-07:002012-03-16T22:22:12.033-07:00I don't know what to say. I spouted off some s...I don't know what to say. I spouted off some shit on my own blog, but I remain speechless when I really dig down deep. <br /><br />Thank you for clarifying more --Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-21219441977036260972012-03-16T18:35:16.859-07:002012-03-16T18:35:16.859-07:00SE Smith is also a blogger who frequently writes a...SE Smith is also a blogger who frequently writes about disability issues at <a href="http://meloukhia.net/" rel="nofollow">This Ain't Livin"</a>. <br /><br />I find it extremely disturbing that this procedure is mostly conducted on girls when the stated reason (stopping them growing so big that their family can't manage) is far more likely to be an issue. Controlling puberty and any appearance of sexual maturity in girls seems far more likely to be an issue - which sounds awfully like victim-blaming over the large proportion of disabled people who are sexually assaulted be carers in their lifetime.lilacsigilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08776762040144477840noreply@blogger.com