Ashley X

I don't know what to think anymore about the case of Ashley X.

For reference, she has had her uterus and breasts removed, and doses of oestrogen to give her the body of a child. Her mental capacity is said to be that of a three month old baby. Her growth was stunted to make her life more comfortable.

The reasons that it should be done are in order to give comfort to Ashley X herself. This is the main argument I can see for the case; not to make her easier to care for, but to have a better quality of life. As a child, she is less likely to contract bed sores and blood diseases, infections... and, like it or not, she will be easier to care for so she won't be as vulnerable to these types of infections.

Of course it is wrong to take away someone's potential to develop into an adult. But it is by no means the worst thing you could do to them; it would be worse, surely, to let her suffer in having a body that was susceptible to ache and pain? I'm not necessarily referring to period pain, but the ageing pains that are so prolific among adults, and would possibly be worse in someone with cerebral palsy. And, whilst her uterus has been removed, I don't believe her clitoris has; this would be mutilation. I'm not quite sure why the uterus was removed; as a sterilisation precaution? Couldn't the ovaries have been removed on their own?

The comparisons to Nazi-ism I find vaguely hysterical in their approach. We must remember that the parents are doing what is in the best interests of their child, to make her more comfortable. The Nazis sterilized disabled people so they could not create the next generation of disabled people; Ashley's chose to sterilize her because they wanted to protect her.

This being said, I'm not sure she should have been sterilized. Delayed development is all very well; it's like having a necessary operation for your future comfort. Sterilization... yes, she might not use her uterus but that doesn't mean she shouldn't have it. None of us use our appendixes, they're completely useless, but we don't all have them chopped out in case of infection. Having said that, women have hysterectomies all the time (albeit with their consent) and don't find it particularly detrimental.

The main question for me is not a flagration of human rights, but more about how comfortable society is with disabled people being sexual beings. I appreciate that most of society will share the view that those free of mental impairment will have sexual urges as everyone else does. But does a childs mind in an adult body still have the same urges, or is it too confusing and harmful to that individual? Ultimately, it does depend on the individual. I can't help feeling, however, that in this case, the right decision has been made for Ashley X.