A Girl Frozen in Time: "Pillow Angel" That Will Forever be a Child.

Ashley's mom and dad called her their "Pillow Angel" - the girl has a rare medical condition called "static encephalopathy of unknown etiology." Ashley's condition means that even though her body grows normally, her brain is "stuck" developmentally as a 3-month-old baby.

Ashley's parents had now revealed that doctors have given Ashley a hormone treatment to limit her growth (as well as to remove her uterus and block the development of her breast), thus stopping her from growing into a woman. In effect, Ashley will forever remain in a child's body.

Ashley's parents say that because she will remain the weight of a child, it will be easier for them to move her around, bathe her and involve her in family activities - movement that will benefit her physical and mental well-being.

Dr Douglas Diekema from the University of Washington in Seattle, who was on the ethics committee that gave the go-ahead for Ashley's treatment, told the BBC that the panel agreed "because the parents convinced us it was in fact in this little girl's best interests".

"If she were smaller it would be much easier for them to continue to provide a much more personal level of care," he said.

But Agnes Fletcher of the UK's Disability Rights Commission said is was "unnecessary medical treatment to deal with what is essentially a social problem", referring to "the poverty and lack of support" faced by families with disabled children.

Needless to say, this is controversial. Read the whole story before you decide whether this is morally right or wrong. Links: Ashley's Blog | BBC | Times - via Internet Monitor


How could anything be on the little girl's best interest if she can't be concerned with anything.

What's next for her... will they put her in some sort of mould so she never gets fat or something?

If they find a cure for her condition one day that girl is going to murder her selfish parents with good reason.
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Aramax: Did you know that Static Encephalopathy is permanent, unchanging Brain Damage? It's on a level above such conditions as Cerebral Palsy, Autism and PDD, so forgive me if I say that the chance to cure this condition, especially in this little girls short life, is about as close to zero as you could think.

With brain development halted at 3 months, the child isn't going to realise the difference so why shouldn't the parents be given an easier time to care for her? Personally, I think that this is the best choice to make in this situation. You can flame me if you want, I'm not worried, I'm just standing for what I believe.

If I was in the position of the parents I would do the exact same thing, and I admire them for actually revealing to the public what they agreed to do.

Anyway, who are you to be judging these people? You are not in their position, and God forbid you or anyone else having to be. It's their child, and they should be allowed to raise it in a way that they feel fit, as long as it doesn't negativity affect anyone else. If they want to control her life, since she can't control it herself, why shouldn't they?

I wish I could get one of those fat moulds for myself... it would make my life a heck of a lot easier.
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I would do the same - and I admire these people coming out in public with what they did.

How come nobody thinks that these parents would also like to see Ashley as grownup woman having a child herself and getting married and all that - well, it won't happen:(
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Digital Vomiting: It seems that seeing their daughter as anything other than a innocent, helpless little girl, totally dependent on her parents, is a big part of their problem. 'Pillow Angel,' their term of affection for her, clearly shows this. It seems they can't bear to live a physically mature, sexually developed daughter.

And even if we agree that she has no concept of what she's missing out on, she stills deserves to be treated with respect. Do we not treat the dead with dignity?
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Well, as I see it they can always dress her up as a Lawn Gnome and plant her in the garden in the springtime next to the plastic pink flamingoes or just leave her on the couch next to the teddybears when Mom has the guests over for Friday Nite Poker & Drinks.
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When we read the synopsis it sounds terrible because it brings to mind stories like Willowbrook or the forced sterilizations of the 30's and 40's. So, I was on the mildly disapproving side of this argument until I read their site. It is nothing of the kind.

After reading their side of the story it really seems to me that the decision was a long thought out, practical and loving response to the problems and needs she will face in the future. They are trying to avoid putting her in an impersonal care facility for as long as they can, and thinking of her comfort and safety for long after they might no longer be able to care for her, in short, doing their job as proper parents.

And Silent002 is right, if someday there IS a miracle cure that !! grows new brain tissue !! , then she will just be undersized and unable to have children - not all THAT bad in the wide world of symptoms.
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I have a friend who has a son just like this. It's terrible and sad, but I really support the parents on their decision. She doesn't have a clue of what's going on anyways, and periods would be painful and confusing. Most mentally challenged females have a hard time recognizing and accepting their periods, and each time it occurs they feel they are dying or are injured. Also, the sad truth of it is, if her parents were to die or somehow she ended up being cared for by other people, there is a high incidence of rape among caretakers and their patients. Would it really be fair for her to be raped and bear the offspring of some twisted mind? I don't think it's selfish at all.
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This little discussion about "Well, what if there's a miracle and she suddenly grows a new brain!? What if there's a miracle treatment!?":
If we come up with a way to jumpstart this girl's brain to the point where she cares if she has a womb or not is such progress that if we can do that, we can regrow all the parts that were removed.

Secondly, "How selfish of those people to want a little girl for ever!":
Imagine babysitting a 200 pound baby. Ever notice how a baby will flail with out really noticing it? Imagine trying to bathe or move or dress a person who has Grand Mal seizures 24/7.
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I think that, while her parents may have been well-intentioned, any individual should be allowed to live up to his or her biological destiny, even if it leads to death, or to the capacity to breed or to have sexual urges while having the mental age of a 3-month-old. While the tube may be akin to feeding, I think that, if the parents were to "do the right thing" by not refusing tube feeding, they had to go all the way and allow the girl to grow up. The very idea of "desexualizing" their daughter is even more terrible than the idea of pregnancy. Maybe there would have been no sex, and since she is not in a position to understand either situation, an act that can be physically enjoyable would not have been worse abuse than what doctors did to her. I don't think her parents acted in her best interest.

They acted in their own interest, and they were uncomfortable with their daughter's adult body and sexuality. And they did not protect her from abuse as much as they have deprived her of a form of pleasure (she probably doesn't have many) and, if it came to that, of motherhood. As for her child being mentally handicapped, that's not sure, and a handicapped child is still human, and not necessarily worse off than her.
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