Printed from: https://archive.cmf.org.uk/news/?id=29
Early this New Year, we all suddenly became aware of the little American girl, Ashley, born with 'static encephalopathy'. Her Seattle parents sought medical intervention to keep her size and weight down to facilitate their future care of her at home.
At the age of six, three years ago, she had radical surgery including hysterectomy, appendicectomy and breast bud removal, and high-dose hormones are being used to prevent further growth. After a case report in a US journal last autumn, there was considerable internet criticism resulting in her father publishing a 9,000 word explanatory blog on New Year's Day.
By 4 January the child 'frozen in time' was a lead story globally. A CMF spokesperson on SKY and the BBC suggested that if the central issue was that the patient did not fit her environment, a more holistic option might have been to amend the environment to fit the patient, rather than drastically amending the patient to fit the environment. Yet again the question is raised: what are appropriate goals for high technology medicine?
bbc.co.uk 4th January 2007
http:
Steven Fouch (CMF Head of Communications) 020 7234 9668
Alistair Thompson on 07970 162 225
Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) was founded in 1949 and is an interdenominational organisation with over 5,000 doctors, 900medical and nursing students and 300 nurses and midwives as members in all branches of medicine, nursing and midwifery. A registered charity, it is linked to over 100 similar bodies in other countries throughout the world.
CMF exists to unite Christian healthcare professionals to pursue the highest ethical standards in Christian and professional life and to increase faith in Christ and acceptance of his ethical teaching.
