The Title
First, lets look at the title. Using the term “Pillow Angel” is an obvious attempt at dehumanization. These children are not “angels,” they are children. The proper title should be “The Ashley Treatment for the well being of our disabled children.” The art of dehumanization as been perfected over the millennia to allow one to fight wars, euthanize, and destroy cultures and people. Seeing others as less than human, or just simply not human, makes it easier to control or manipulate them.
She is not an “angel,” she is a human being, and needs to be treated as such. In this country, in this culture, in this time, we do not force surgery upon fellow humans, other people, especially untested surgery on an unknown diagnosis. Do not de-personalize her by using emotional words, she is a PERSON, a human being.
Comments
She may be human, but her disability condition limits her to doing all things human in many ways. She is disabled for the rest of her life and therefore depends on closed ones to take care of her.
No one is trying to dehumanize Ashley. She can’t make her own decisions on what surgeries to have due to the fact that mentally she is, and always will be, at the stage of infancy. Her family decided to perform given surgeries to comfort her life; to make it easier and to reduce stress for her.
The term “Angel” is used to describe her delicate mental condition. She is like an angel because she has the mind of an infant, an innocent little baby. Her condition doesn’t allow to be treated like a real human being. The term “Angel” shouldn’t be used as if she’s brain dead.