ACTION ALERT---More Ashley X

The struggle continues! Want to do something about it??? FRIDA has some action requests for you.

First and most importantly, contact Dr. Nancy A. Murphy in Utah to let her know that you think the medical intervention in the case of Ashley X was WRONG. Tell her that instead of Ashley's parents changing her body, they should have sought out community supports and assistive technology. People with disabilities around the world agree that society should change to us---we should not have to be "fixed" for society. Dr. Murphy is the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Children with Disabilities and she plans to talk about the Ashley X case with the committee at the AAP conference in October. We must help Dr. Murphy understand the disability rights position on this issue. Contact her and explain what you think---she seems to be trying to stay objective and get the issue resolved in the medical community, but it will help if she hears from us. If we do not, who will? In 2007, over 90 disability rights groups expressed opposition to what happened to Ashley! You can contact Dr. Murphy at nancy.murphy@hsc.utah.edu or 801-581-9978. You can also call her assistant, Erin Wachs at (801) 581-9978. Dr. Murphy's bio is at http://www.ped.med.utah.edu/GenPeds/biosketches/nmurphy_biosketch.html.

Please contact Art Caplan in Philadelphia and thank him for supporting community choice options in the CNN Ashley X article. His e-mail is caplan@mail.med.upenn.edu and his phone is (215) 898-7136. Philly ADAPT had to chase Dr. Caplan down in a hallway to get him to commit to supporting community choice. He is keeping that promise. He is on CNN quite often as their expert on bioethics.

Finally, please comment on the story at the CNN website at http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/12/pillow.angel/index.html by scrolling down to the bottom. Let CNN know what you think! We need disability rights perspectives on there! There are a LOT of comments supporting the parents' decision to intervene on their daughter's body.

Please take some time in the next couple of days to contact these people and protect all our rights to control over our own bodies. Go go go!

Thank you,

FRIDA
www.ourfrida.org