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Friday, February 9, 2007 12:00 AM

Behind the Pillow Angel

Doctors at the Seattle hospital that operated on a disabled girl to keep her from reaching sexual maturity -- the controversial "Ashley Treatment" -- were more troubled by the procedure than has been reported previously.

By Rebecca Clarren

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Friday, February 9, 2007 12:03 AM

If you don't love the girl like her parents do, nobody cares what you think about the nickname.

When I first heard this story, I, too, was a bit horrified. Then I followed a link to their website and came to the conclusion that they love their daughter and are trying their best under awful circumstances. So they call her their "Pillow Angel." Would you have selected the same pet name? Probably not, but so what? You may call your children names that I wouldn't call mine. Lucky for you such details about your family's life haven't been exposed to the world for ridicule.

I'm entirely with TruCarMa, here. I'm boggled by the presumptuousness of people who have decided that the choice of "Pillow Angel" as a nickname means that her parents view her as less than human. If anyone on earth is keenly aware of Ashley's humanity, it's her parents. To quibble about the endearment they choose for her is petty in the extreme.

—Tina R. Read Tina R.'s other letters

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