It all started with a blog.
David, a young man with severe cerebral palsy, decried the way his friend Ashley was being taken care by her parents.
"Ashley's parents have committed the ultimate betrayal," he writes. "They have treated their daughter as less than human, not worthy of dignity.... What strikes me about 'the Ashley treatment' and has brought me to tears is that the very people in all of society whom this child should trust have betrayed her."I quote from CNN since I am too lazy and short on time to compose it in my own words:
When Ashley was 6 years old, her parents and doctors agreed to have her uterus and breast buds removed so she'll never reach puberty. She was given estrogen treatments and will never be more than 4 feet 5 inches and 75 pounds. Like the Terri Schaivo story before her, Ashley and her story have a lot to say about what it means to be disabled, what it means to be different and what it means to be human.Sounds horrible? Think again.
Ashley, 9, has a condition called static encephalopathy, which means an unchanging brain injury of unknown origin. She's in a permanent infant-like state -- can't hold her head up, speak or roll over on her own.But then again, you guys know how it is in the land of the free. Feminist groups and disability activists are out for blood against the doctors who performed Ashley's uterus removal and hormonal treatment. Ashley's parents are outcasts among the global community of parents of disabled children.
Original CNN article Interview with Ethicist in Ashley's case Ashley's parents' blog
I draw a parallel with what Lao Zi once said:
Certainly, Ashley's parents' reasons for her treatment might not be 100% altruistic. But then again, is there anything in this world that's ever 100%? Such an imperfect world we live in, could there ever be people who choose to see things only in perfect absolutes?
Let us judge not the outcome of their actions, but the process that Ashley's parents went through to arrive at their final decision. Short of being the parents themselves, I can only rely on anecdotal evidence from blogs and news reports. Was the process rigid enough? Were all grounds covered? Did the ethicist do his job? How...
Yes, yes, yes, yes...
David may have started all these with his blog entry. I rest my case with mine.
“子非鱼，安知鱼之乐？”Of course, this diatribe could go on forever:
(How would a human be able to appreciate the joys of a fish?)
“子非我，安知我不知鱼之乐？”Cut it out guys, Ashley's probably never going to know, and none of you have the right to judge whether her parents' actions are right or wrong. I am a traditionalist and I am not saying that abortion is any less correct or wrong. Since Ashley's parents had the courage (or didn't know better) to bring her to this world, they are in the best position to decide what's best for her. Sure, there are parents in this world who physically or even sexually abuse their kids. Yet after reading the various sources, I am convinced her parents had her best interests at heart.
(Since you're not me, how would you know that I am unable to appreciate the joys of a fish swimming freely in the waters?)
Certainly, Ashley's parents' reasons for her treatment might not be 100% altruistic. But then again, is there anything in this world that's ever 100%? Such an imperfect world we live in, could there ever be people who choose to see things only in perfect absolutes?
Let us judge not the outcome of their actions, but the process that Ashley's parents went through to arrive at their final decision. Short of being the parents themselves, I can only rely on anecdotal evidence from blogs and news reports. Was the process rigid enough? Were all grounds covered? Did the ethicist do his job? How...
Yes, yes, yes, yes...
David may have started all these with his blog entry. I rest my case with mine.
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