UK Hospital Refuses “Ashley’s Treatment”

Readers of SHS will remember the controversial case of Ashley, the profoundly disabled girl whose uterus and breast buds were removed, and who was given hormones to keep her from growing to normal size. Ashley’s parents became proselytizers of sorts, for “Ashley’s treatment,” and a UK mother, also discussed here, announced shortly thereafter that doctors had agreed to remove the uterus of her disabled daughter so she wouldn’t have to experience menstruation.

Thankfully, that plan has been scuttled, apparently due, at least in part, to public disapproval: From the story:

Alison Thorpe, 45, previously said she had received the backing of a surgeon to carry out the operation, which she said would save her daughter Katie, 15, from the distress and inconvenience of menstruating.

She said a consultant at her local hospital was seeking legal approval to carry out the procedure, even though it is not medically needed. But now she claims the hospital has blocked the move after it provoked a fierce reaction from disabled rights groups and a national debate about the ethics of the case.

This is one reason why public discussion of these issues is so important. Sometimes, big mistakes by well meaning people are averted.