"Pillow Angel" Center of Debate

A little girl, only nine, who is mentally and physically handicapped, is the center of a growing controversy. This little "Pillow Angel" named Ashley, unable to speak, stand, or even eat, has become the center for a growing ethical debate.

Ethical debates over the infirmed, elderly, and mentally handicapped are nothing new, but this debate has a unique twist to it.

The parents of this little girl decided to "freeze" her growth. She will stay a little girl forever. In order to do this they removed her breast buds so that she would not grow breasts, injected her with estrogen to stunt her growth, and gave her a complete hysterectomy.

Ashley has static encephalopathy, a rare form of brain damage. She will never have any more awareness of the world then a three month old. She will never walk, never talk, never care for herself in any manner. She has a G-tube through which she is fed.

On CNN they spoke with lawyers, discussing the ethicalness of the treatment. Is it right to freeze-frame a child simply because they will never be "normal"? Is it right to subject another person to surgeries simply to make it "convenient" to the caregivers?

They focused on the caregivers desires for their own comfort, completely ignoring the medical problems or solutions for this little girl. What, if any, repercussions will the removal of such organs have on her? What has it done for her quality of life?

It is completely possible that the hysterectomy would have kept the rest of her body from maturing and that she did not have to go through the rest of the procedures.

In the 17th and 18th century, boys were pressed by families to join the castrati choirs of Italy. They were castrated by their parents to keep their beautiful singing voices. The removal of testis caused them to remain childlike in body. The lack of puberty meant their voices would remain high pitched like a child's, and they did not develop facial hair as other men did, having a boy like appearance even late in their years.

Of these boys, only a handful ever made it to be superstars of their time.

Although the practice faded away near the end of the 18th century it did not disappear all together. Natural castrati, boys born with hormone imbalances that mimic the symptoms of one who has been castrated, do still appear from time to time. The last recorded castrati was in 1904 on a phonograph record.

There is nothing in the books about castrati suffering from any type of illness, cancer, or shorter life span because of their castration. Likewise, it is a good assumption that the "pillow angel" Ashley will go similarly unaffected.

There are other things Ashley will be spared by these procedures. She will never have a menstrual flow that she would be unable to take care of. Her caregivers will be able to take better care of her as she will never get too heavy for them to lift.

Do I think it is a good idea? I do not know. I do know I had a friend with a son confined to a wheelchair for his entire life. Though 24, he has never spoken a word, never walked, never sat up, never been "normal" a day in his life. They have many difficulties in caring for their son, but they love him and they do so with a cheerful heart.

A few years ago they had to have the tendons on his feet cut because the lack of pressure on the extremities was causing the feet to curl in on themselves. This is a normal circumstance for someone who can not walk, and can not do normal physical therapy that stretches tendons. The tendons slowly shrink drawing in the foot and hands causing claw like appendages. They had the tendons cut because it was easier, and healthier, for their son then should he have been allowed the clubbed feet. Clubbed feet can get infections where skin can not be cleaned or dried as easily.

In the end the moral public can not make decisions for this family. They have to choose their own path, as they are doing. Controversy will continue, and perhaps laws be passed, but in the end it is the family that deals with it while we only catch a glimpse through the window of our TV.

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