Pillow Angel Case Study

In the case of Pillow Angel, Ashley’s parents are harshly criticized by the public for choosing a course of treatment for their daughter’s medical condition that is in her best interest. Although it arises questions about morality, in making the decision to administer a high-dose of estrogen to Ashley, her parents opted to prevent her from great amounts of pain and increase the overall value of her life. This analysis of the case of Pillow Angel favors the decision that Ashley’s surrogate decision markers made as it considered her best interests and the future quality of her life.

Ashley was a born with a condition that only allows her to reach a developmental level of a three-month-old infant. Consequently, she is not able to advocate for …show more content…
Although Beauchamp and Childress claim that the best standard through which a decision should be made is the pure autonomy standard because it takes under consideration the patient’s preferences prior to being incompetent (Beauchamp & Childress, 65), it simply just doesn’t apply in the case of Ashley because due to her condition, she has never been a competent individual. For that reason, Ashley’s parents’ decision to administer her with a high-dose of estrogen to remove her breast buds and uterus is based on the best interest standard because their sole purpose was to maintain their daughter in the least amount of “discomfort and boredom” possible. According to Beauchamp and Childress, a decision based on best interest is an inescapably criterion of quality of life for which judgments are meant to focus attention entirely on the value of the life for the person who must live it (Beauchamp & Childress, …show more content…
In other words, the benefits that this treatment provides for the Ashley far outweigh the potential