The parents of a severely disabled eight-year-old girl have come under fire for deciding to prevent her from ever reaching puberty.
TVNZ in New Zealand says the parents made the decision to ensure that Charley Hooper would never develop into an adult woman.
Charley will also be injected with hormones to ensure that she stays small, and easy to handle.
The report says Charley has “the mind of a baby” and cannot walk, talk or feed herself.
Her parents have opted for “the Ashley Treatment” to prevent her from reaching puberty.
“The next phase is the surgical removal of the uterus,” the report says.
“She will be unable to menstruate, get pregnant and grow breasts.”
The procedure is being monitored by a paediatric endocrinologist, Professor Paul Hofman.
“A child like this, a child like Charley is better off small rather than big”, her mother Jen Hooper told the TVNZ Sunday program.
“We didn’t do this to Charley, we did it for Charley.”
