to permanently stunt?

Most of you have heard the story of Ashley, a now 9 year old who stopped growing psychologically at 3 months old. Although Ashley continued to grow physically, her brain capacity is that of a 3 month old. Sadly, Ashley needs help with everything including eating, going to the bathroom and even sitting up. There are thousands of children all over the world who have similar capabilities as Ashley, but her parents made headlines over the past few months because they wanted to stunt their daughters growing process, which would allow her to stay the same size for the rest of her life.

This surgery is the first of its kind, allowing doctors to take Ashley's ovaries and breast buds to halt puberty. Her parents call her a "pillow angel" and want to stunt their daughter's puberty so they can take better care of their daughter. The idea in theory makes sense, but below the surface there is a more complicated issue. First is the idea of morals. Yes their daughter is handicapped and it has been stated by doctors that her condition will not improve. However, how could parents want their daughter to go under the knife just to help them out? Ashley cannot speak for herself, nor would she be able to comprehend what is being done to her. Her parents should let her develop normally. The most astonishing thing about this story is this type of surgery has never been done before. Therefore the doctors do not exactly know what the consequences may be. This surgery may make Ashley's condition worse. When it all comes down to it, this is a sad story and it's amazing that parents would agree to let their daughter have a voluntary surgery.

With all of the public attention being directed to this family I wonder what other whacked out parents around the world will choose to do this. Is stunting the growth of a physically and mentally handicapped person going to become the norm?

To watch a news story video on this article visit http://www.knbc.com/video/10665238/index.html