Mother seeks hysterectomy for disabled daughter

THE mother of a severely disabled girl yesterday defended her bid to have her daughter’s womb removed in the face of criticism from campaigners.

Alison Thorpe said the operation for her child Katie, 15, who suffers from cerebral palsy, would prevent the girl’s quality of life from deteriorating through the pain and discomfort of menstruation.

Doctors are seeking legal advice to see whether they have the proper consent to proceed with the hysterectomy.

A charity for the disabled warned that the move could infringe human rights and set a “disturbing precedent”.

Andy Rickell, executive director of disability charity Scope, said: “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.

“Society should adapt itself to include disabled children, rather than having them “modified” to fit society, Mr Rickell said.

Ms Thorpe, of Billericay, Essex, 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’.”