I think “pillow angel” used as a generic term is way creepy. However, am I alone in reading the term as being more like that nice person who would come in at night with a pillow in order to send the kid off to her next cycle on the wheel? A little parental wish-fulfillment, perhaps?
Just for the record, I could give a crap about how the parents have mutilated their child. It’s the NICKNAME FOR THE CONDITION, straight out of some sort of David Cronenberg film, that terrifies and disgusts me.
Add “Precious Doe” to the list. What the hell is wrong with these glurge-living people?!
So you’re saying you no longer want Daniel to be your own personal pillow angel?
Well, it would make for an easy Halloween costume. A pair of glasses, a hat and… well, I’ll be sure to say hello to you in hell, Guin.
(Hey, at least I had the good judgment to refrain from showing off my Photoshop skills.)
Do not taunt Pillow Angel.
Stop being such a godddamned pussy.
Gosh, I have a friend who was in a terrible car wreck and her parents now have to care for her in every way. I wonder why they haven’t thought to maim her and stunt her to make it easier for themselves. The only thing they’ve done is cut her hair short. They must be gluttons for punishment.
samm, I’m so sorry for your friend. How old is she?
She’s 30, but she’ll never get any better and she seems to be gaining weight from all that sitting around in a wheelchair. I think her parents should seriously consider some lipo when they yank her uterus and lop off her boobs.
So, really, not remotely the same situation as the one we’re talking about here.
Make up your mind, Pasolini film or Cronenberg film, or are you just throwing out oddball directors for street cred? 
And samm, I’m truly saddened by what’s happened to her. However, as Miller points out, that’s quite a bit different from being born no capacity to function beyond a 6 month old. I’d hoped that her parents had time to her adjust growing up while she was doing it, rather than her reaching full maturity before year 1, developmentally speaking.
For the record, I wouldn’t want my family to do anything other than what they did. But I’m also one of those who wouldn’t have minded my mother following through on my (hypothetical) abortion either.
The name “pillow angel” seems to be the verbal equivalent to desexualizing her- it’s turning her into a cute object in reference instead of a human being.
I generally disagree with calling anything any kind of “angel”. It’s creepy and you only see old women doing it.
Right, your first clue being when I said that she was in a car accident.
But I don’t foresee that she will ever need her uterus or breasts in the future, they are really only an inconvenience for both her and her parents. In fact, all people who must be cared for by others for the rest of their lives should be made as small and clean as possible in order to lessen the burden on the caretakers. Because the caretakers are really the only people who matter.
Sorry for your friend. I’m hoping that she can still talk.
You haven’t mentioned if your friend was hurt mentally or physically (or both—and my sympathies, I’m sure it isn’t easy to cope with). but there is a difference between the two, and I think that’s where those who approve of what the parents did come from. In the case of Ashley, she will never know on any meaningful level what happened to her. She has never and will never have the emotions of a normal adult, and will never be able to have an opinion on the matter. And if it helps her parents take care of her, that may help her quality of life indirectly.
If she were physically disabled, on the other hand, that would be different, because she would have the capacity to think for herself, to maintain adult relationships, etc. The mental impact of the procedure would be much harsher.
No, actually that’s not the part that makes it entirely different. The part that makes it entirely different is where your friend was disabled when she was a grown woman, already past puberty and the irreversible changes that entails. So giving her the same treatments that were administered to the little girl that inspired this OP would be pointless, as it’s already too late for the them to do any good.
If the caretakers were the only people who mattered, we’d just euthanize the kid and be done with it. There are some very strong arguments that these procedures are to the direct benefit of the patient, and your appeals to outrage are not going to make them go away.
This excellent point of Jayn_Newell’s bears repeating, “And if it helps her parents take care of her, that may help her quality of life indirectly.” In the case of Ashley, this has the potential of improving her life. For example the previously mentioned menstrual cramps, just for one, could easily cause her severe pain that she can’t articulate and that may not be able to be managed as effectively as it is for someone self-aware. I can so envision many a scenario like that for Ashley… 
And her parents have every right to not wish their child to be in any more pain than absolutely necessary. Not to mention, parents are called upon all the time to make decisions in the best interest of their children when the child is unable to do so themselves.
Having worked for 6 months in a home for retarded adults, I applaud the parents for having the courage to consider what would be best for their daughter and follow through with their decision.
This girl will always be 6 months old mentally but she won’t always be 6 months old physically. Has anyone else here changed the diapers of adults? It’s no picnic to have to move a 200 lb person around to change their diaper and clean them. Keeping her small will make caring for her easy and enable better quality care for her. As others have pointed out, she won’t need her breasts or reproductive organs and avoiding puberty will avoid many potential problems for her.
Her parents have taken much more trouble to guarantee good care for their daughter than most parents of retarded children.
No you are not, especially after I saw a play called The Pillowman with a plot that’s pretty much what you posted.