Week 13 Unit 6 Activity 1.1: Hysterectomy for Katie? [2012]

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A mother has defended her plan to have the womb of her seriously disabled daughter removed over claims it violates her human rights. Doctors at St John's Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex, are seeking legal advice to see whether they have the proper consent to proceed with surgery on 15-year-old Katie Thorpe despite there being no medical need.

Alison Thorpe, 45, from Billericay, Essex, wants doctors to perform a hysterectomy on Katie, who has severe cerebral palsy, to prevent her menstruating as she fears the teenager will be unable to cope with the complications of adulthood.

Ms Thorpe said: "First of all, this is not about me. If it was about me, I would have given up caring for Katie a long, long while ago. "It is about quality of life and for Katie to not have the associated problems of menstruation adds to her quality of life. It means she can continue with the quality of life we can give her now. "Katie wouldn't understand menstruation at all. She has no comprehension about what will be happening to her body. "All she would feel is the discomfort, the stomach cramps and the headaches, the mood swings, the tears, and wonder what is going on." Miss Thorpe said an operation would be the best course of action, despite the initial pain it would cause. She added: "The short-term pain and discomfort we can manage with painkillers. We will be able to manage that pain much better than menstruation once a month, when Katie cannot tell us 'I'm in pain'."

But disabled charity Scope has said the unnecessary surgery may not be in the teenager's best interests and could have "disturbing" consequences for other children. Andy Rickell, the charity's executive director, said it recognises that it is a difficult situation and is aware of the challenges faced by families like Katie's. However, he added: "It is very difficult to see how this kind of invasive surgery, which is not medically necessary and which will be very painful and traumatic, can be in Katie's best interests.

"This case raises fundamental ethical issues about the way our society treats disabled people and the respect we have for disabled people's human and reproductive rights. "Scope is concerned that doctors are supporting parents in this case. If this enforced sterilisation is approved it will have disturbing implications for young disabled girls across Britain."

He continued: "Society should adapt itself to include disabled children, rather than them being "modified" to fit society." Katie's case mirrors that of Ashley X, the nine-year-old US girl with the mental age of a three-month-old baby, who had surgery to keep her a child. Her parents said keeping her "frozen" as a girl would give her a better life, but the move provoked worldwide controversy.
© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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