The Ashley Treatment Essay -- Medical Research

Parents, no matter their profession, are eternally in the business of raising their children. From their earliest ages, kids are told who they can play with, what they can eat, where they can go, and even when they have to go to bed. But is there a point where parents go too far? In other words, is there a time when in raising a child, a parent interjects in a child’s life so much that those actions become detrimental to the child’s development? This is the physically moral dilemma that comes out of the Ashley Treatment. The procedure that has opened up society’s view on human development brings with it an incredible amount of controversy. Turning to a more theological approach, this procedure raises so many questions regarding the human condition. For instance, how do humans accommodate those with severe disabilities without stripping them of certain natural human rights that every individual is afforded? To take it to a more fundamental level, what ought we to do as humans to help people with disabilities, while at the same time making sure we are treating them as equal beings? Once questions like these can be addressed, the more pointed question can be reflected upon: is the Ashley Treatment ethical? When answering this, it is important to remember that all people deserve a voice in the goings on in the world, particularly when those issues pertain to themselves. Additionally ponder the fact that there are unique cases in which someone else may need to speak on behalf of an individual for that person to be heard. Such is the case for many with profound disabilities like Ashley. The Ashley Treatment is a pretty novel and groundbreaking procedure with incredible ethical discord. This treatment was devised by the doctors of ... ... over their child, in particular regards to profound disability and the â€Å"Ashley Treatment.† Liao, S., Julian Savulescu, and Mark Sheehan. â€Å"The Ashley Treatment: Best Interests, Convenience, and Parental Decision-Making.† Hastings Center Report. 37.2 (2012): 16- 20. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. This essay weighs the benefits and consequences of the â€Å"Ashley Treatment† procedure. It looks at how it was created, why it was used, and ethical justification to validate its use. Ryan, Christine. â€Å"Revisiting the Legal Standards that Govern Requests to Sterilize Profoundly Incompetent Children: In Light of the Ashley Treatment, Is a New Standard Appropriate.† Fordham Law Review. 77.1 (2008): 287-325. Print. This article talks about the controversial â€Å"Ashley Treatment† from a legal and ethical standpoint. It uses the court decisions on this matter to create the author’s argument.