Pros And Cons Of The Ashley Treatment

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1. The Ashley Treatment, or growth attenuation, is a procedure to inhibit the growth of a child with disabilities to make it easier for their parents or caregivers to take care of them. The side that is for the Ashley Treatment says it will be easier for the parents to take care of their child if they use the growth attenuation treatment to inhibit her growth, as she will be easier for them to move around at a smaller size. They also say that Ashley has the mind of an infant, and since this makes her dependent on her caregivers, it is best to make her easier to carry (Freeman, 2007). Additionally, they say that this treatment will make it less likely that caregivers will sexually abuse her. Also, they say that keeping her this small will allow her to still ride many of the children’s rides she enjoys (Jordan, 2009). The pro-Ashley Treatment side say that removing her breast tissue will prevent her feeling any …show more content…

My stance on the issue is on the side against the Ashley Treatment. I feel that the cons of the treatment far outweigh the possible pros. In my opinion, the arguments on the con side are stronger than the arguments on the pro side. One bias that may be affecting my opinion on the issue is confirmation bias. When I first started reading about this issue, the first few sources I found were either neutral about or for the Ashley Treatment. However, I felt that I was probably against the treatment, and wanted to find out more from the side against the treatment. Because of this, most of my sources lean towards being disapproving of growth attenuation. Another bias possibly affecting my judgment is that when issues like this arise with one side mainly being parents of people with disabilities and the other side mainly being people with disabilities, I side with the people with disabilities. I believe that people with disabilities have a deeper understanding of these issues because these issues impact their whole lives and affect their experience of the