Site Presented By
Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
"A uterus is not a clitoris
Okay, you know what you are a moron if you think removal of the uterus and breasts means no sexual pleasure can be had. Clitoris people, say it again, clitoris."
Indeed, those talking about sexual pleasure for this 3 month old are both ignorant of physiology *and* sexually deranged. This INFANT is physiologically capable of having an orgasm, but those concerned with her ability to have one are sick in the head. It seems to be a matter of sexual objectification. Just who is it that would enjoy this sexuality? Not her, since she's only 3 MONTHS OLD. Rather, it is those who are fixated on this body she will never have and so upset that she will never have it who are fantasizing about the body, and paying no attention to Ashley herself, her mind, her personality, her desires, her aspirations -- those of AN INFANT.
I'm not kidding. This child has no quality of life at all, severely disabled as she is. And to compound her already profound isolation from normalcy, her parents chose to mutilate her (yes, that's right, they MUTILATED her) in order to make it easier for THEM. Think of it: cutting off her breasts, cutting out her female reproductive organs, giving her estrogen to stunt her growth. It's like something a mad scientist would do. And to call her "a pillow angel" invokes images of a stuffed animal or a paperweight. I think it would have been more merciful to outright end her life than to have her exist in such a pitiable, helpless, destroyed state. No doubt her parents consider themselves moral and God-fearing people so the idea of euthanasia would be unthinkable. Instead they resort to major surgery to obliterate her womanhood in order to make her "life" and their lives, more comfortable. And surgeons actually consented to this! This is insane. This is not "love". This is incredible abuse. There should be a law against this cruelty. Yes, euthanasia would be the ultimate act of kindness compared to this.
"her parents chose to mutilate her (yes, that's right, they MUTILATED her) in order to make it easier for THEM"
None of the ignoramuses who make this claim have been to the web site: http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/
This is not now, nor has it ever been, the business of the general public. There should never have been a media report, let alone essays like this analyzing the decisions made and actions taken. Ashley's life will be much better because some forward-looking individuals took steps to make that happen. Now let's drop it. It's none of our business!
I have not read Ashley's medical records, I have not met with her family, or examined the patient, but I suspect this operation went forward because of one thing: it was life saving. If she truly has the disabilities described in the article then she is doomed to die at a young age. Why? That tiny little line in the story about bed sores. If one thinks the description of her medical procedures is horrible, imagine that a large dog has taken a bite out of her backside. That is what will happen to her if she reaches full development.
A bed soar is easy to explain. Squeeze your fist and then open it quickly, the flesh turns from white to your natural tone, which is because the pressure from squeezing was greater than the blood pressure trying to push life giving blood to the tissue in you hand. When one lies in one position for a long time the pressure of the body on the most dependent portion is more than the blood flow to this area, this causes tissue to die. This is a bed sore; the problem is that dead tissue in a sore is like a buffet for bacteria that are ever present in our environment. Her family obviously loves and cares for her above and beyond the call of duty but if she was a full grown adult the odds are she will eventually succumb to sepsis, "blood infection," from a bed sore. Now, being small does not preclude her getting one or dieing from a secondary infection from one but the smaller she is the easier it is for care givers to turn her on a regular basis; and her lighter weight means less pressure on her backside. They start tiny but are incipient; they take hold and are deadly.
Remember Christopher Reeves? Don't you think that he most likely had the best medical care in the world and a loving wife and family? Why did he die? From an infection that most likely started as just a little blemish on his backside.
Adjusting her development was not just a convenience for the family; it may help her avoid death by infection.
...is the number of people who insist she's only 3 months old mentally--strictly by associating, at all costs, the shape and size of a 3 month old brain (which, first of all, isn't that small) with cognitive development over time. Those two aspects don't necessarily go hand in hand.
Regarding the "statement" signed by all those "ethicists" (my emphasis on the latter): Have they also signed up to take turns to help Ashley's parents deliver the care she needs, or found a similarly impared person in their community to help in such a way? It is so very easy to plunk a signature on a form registering distaste for someone else's actions. But putting your money and time on the line for your beliefs takes more committment.
But the reality of Ashley's care needs must be crushing. And all the nattering naysayers here and elsewhere haven't a CLUE what that entails. And until these people can stand up and show how they have contributed in a concrete way (hours of respite care donated, etc.,) they should STFU, IMO
You can go on all you want about "feminist issues", "disabled issues" and "rights of children", blah, blah, blah, but in the end it all boils down to a little vulnerable being whose world is just familiar faces, sounds, smells and touches, and her parents who love her and have committed to care for her as long as they can. These procedures have ensured that that can happen. It isn't' any more sinister than that.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
