|
What people are talking about:
The Ashley Treatment:
By now, many of you have heard of this controversial situation involving
a young girl from Seattle and her parents who sought surgical and
medical ways they thought would improve Ashley’s quality of life—to
lessen the discomfort of puberty, pms and the possibility that Ashley’s
future, adult size would negatively impact her and her care providers.
Learn what the family thought and said for yourself! Visit their website
instead of assuming you know what happened by only hearing it through
the grapevine.
http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/blog/
Martin’s
Answer to the Ashley Treatment:
Martin lives in Illinois with his family. They developed ’Martin’s
Answer to the Ashley Treatment.’ No matter what I or my coworkers feel
about what was done to Ashley, Martin says it far better than we ever
could.
http://martintreatment.spaces.live.com/
As the
editor of this newsletter, I feel that I must share a conversation I had
with a dear friend about Ashley. My friend has a daughter a few years
older than Ashley and she loves her no less than Ashley’s family loves
her. We both agreed that there is something about what Ashley’s mother
describes that we could understand. But, there is something that appears
to be missing from the input the family sought from lawyers and doctors.
Did they ask adults with developmental disabilities what they thought
about surgically altering Ashley? All school districts have teenagers
with developmental disabilities in attendance—did they try to ask what
other teenage girls with disabilities think about PMS and having their
periods? Why do we think that a name with an MD behind it has such a
better grasp on right and wrong? Just because an ‘ethics committee’
agreed with the course of medical intervention that included hormone
therapy, and multiple invasive, irreversible surgeries, does that mean
it was right? Sadly, it was determined by lawyers that Ashley’s
disability was severe enough to deny her the rights typically afforded
to patients. We have not come far enough in this country, but this is
one reason we continue to pursue needed family supports!
— Jill Smith
|
How can you get involved with Family Support
360?
|
|
The Idaho Family Support 360 Project is dedicated
to strengthening the current family support system in the State of
Idaho. The 20+member Policy
Council for the Project consists of community partners, agencies,
individuals with a disability, family members who have a child with a
disability, and advocacy groups.
For more
information about our Project, the Policy Council, or how to become
involved with family support resources in Idaho contact:
jills@uidaho.edu
208-659-1643
800-393-7290
www.connectingfamilies.net
|
