Disability Community Outraged Over the "Ashley Treatment" From NCIL If you thought forced sterilization of people with disabilities was a thing of the past; think again! The disability community was outraged by the recent announcement of what has become known as the "Ashley Treatment," where the parents of a 6-year-old girl with multiple disabilities had her uterus and breast buds removed. Additionally, she was given estrogen treatments so she'll never reach puberty and will never be more than 4 feet 5 inches tall and 75 pounds in weight. Ashley's parents, who refer to her as their "Pillow Angel," claim that this procedure makes taking care of her easier since she will be lighter to lift for transfers, will not have to be burdened by her menstrual cycle, and places her at less risk to be sexually abused. Ashley's parents, along with her physician recently dubbed this series of medical procedures as the "Ashley Treatment," which was published in the October 2006 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. They are also encouraging others to utilize similar procedures on their children with disabilities - fueling a national controversy. National and regional disability advocacy organizations immediately expressed outrage over the "Ashley Treatment" as it beckons back to antiquated involuntary sterilization of people with disabilities, which deprived persons with disabilities of fundamental human rights in over 30 states during the 20th Century. Not Dead Yet, a national disability rights group dealing with medical and bioethics issues relating to people with disabilities, called for a total ban on this and similar procedures. "Ashley has been denied her basic human rights through draconian interventions to her person," Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) said in a written response to the "Ashley Treatment." "Too often, we must fight to persuade social service and healthcare bureaucracies that help at home and appropriate equipment such as adapted wheelchairs and mechanical lifts are essential and fundamental to our autonomy. However, if these problems seem insurmountable, or cannot as a practical matter be surmounted, as Ashley's parents suggest, then it is all our duty to change the system so it works rather than find novel ways to modify people so that they will more easily "fit" a flawed system." This situation has sparked national debate, and thanks to the vocal objections of disability advocates, has obtained extensive media coverage. Future WhAMs will keep you informed of any developments. For more on coverage of the disability community's response to this issue, see the linked CNN story, available at http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/11/ashley.outcry/index.html CNN David's Blog Ashley's Parents' Blog BACK