Controversial Disability and Human Rights Case

The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) has been following a controversy involving a young girl with significant disabilities who was given, at age 6, a hysterectomy, a mastectomy, and high dose estrogen over several years. These interventions were intended to attenuate her growth, and keep her small and undeveloped sexually so that she could be cared for by her family at home.

The child, referred to only as "Ashley X," is now 9 years old. Her doctors published their report, with the idea that these interventions should be made available for other severally disabled children, in the October 2006 issue of the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

DREDF has issued a public statement, posted earlier on the CALegalAdvocates website and entitled "Modify the System, Not the Person," and has posted many materials about this case on our website at http://www.dredf.org/news/in_news.shtml. We are very concerned that the mainstream press has not provided complete information about the case and its implications.

Some coverage has been balanced, for example the article by Nancy Gibbs in the January 22, 2007 issue Time Magazine. Other discussions have been disturbing from a human rights standpoint, for example, the op ed by Peter Singer published in the January 26, 2007 issue of the New York Times. We wrote a letter in response that was published January 31, 2007.

This case, we believe, has far-reaching human rights and women's rights implications, along with its obvious impact on disability rights.

For more information, CONTACT: Julia Epstein, Director of Communications & Development Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) 2212 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710 Voice/TTY: 510-644-2555 Fax: 510-841-8645 Email: jepstein@dredf.org Webpage: http://www.dredf.org