Lots of debate today about Ashley, the 9-year-old severely mentally and physically disabled girl whose parents have stunted her growth to keep her a more manageable and portable size. After discussions with medical ethicists at Children’s Hospital in Seattle, the parents decided to have Ashley have a hysterectomy and large doses of hormones to stop her growth and prevent her from going through puberty.
Today I talked to bioethicist Arthur Caplan, who vehemently disagrees with what the parents did and thinks it is slippery slope thinking. I’m of the other opinion, supporting their decision, which they made out of love of their daughter (and even if they did it a little bit to make their lives easier, considering the huge burden they have, can you really blame them?).
Listen to our conversation here.