Plastic Surgery for Ophelia Kirwan

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/03/21/sociedad/s-03015.htm

Ophelia Kirwan is only two years old and her dad, a plastic surgeon in the UK, will operate her so that her Down syndrome features are not so apparent. As the case became news around the world, the debate is now heated and not likely to subside any time soon. Is her parents' decision right?

It is true that without or with less traits of this syndrome she is likely to have an easier life. People will not single her out just by her looks, which means she will have a chance of leading a more 'normal' life. Her cognitive capacity will still be the same, and if she is lucky to grow up in a supportive environment her integration with the rest of her peers throughout school and later on in the workforce will be facilitated. However, I wonder whether this surgery to change her face is more of a palliative to Ophelia's future suffering or to her parents'. Or to ours.

Whenever we are victims of any kind of discrimination, we may be affected physically or emotionally, but many times discriminatory attitudes of others may go unnoticed to us. Either aware or not, we can overcome discrimination by finding strength in our own beliefs with the support of those who love us, who will nurture our self-esteem. How much is this operation likely to make Ophelia more resilient and prepared for our predatory society?

How much is the fact that she will look like anyone else supposed to assuage Ophelia's own anguish? Or is her operation more likely to dissipate everybody else's anxiety when they have to deal with someone different? Will her 'normal' features dispel people's discomfort around her? Will her parents feel better in the company of the 'after' rather than the 'before' version of their daughter?

In her innocence, Ophelia does not understand, and who knows if she ever will, that she was born in a sick society that finds a better solution in changing her outer looks so that she can be more acceptable to all of us. It hurts to think that in fact she will suffer less, that as civilized people we have not come to terms with others' differences and that we need to 'normalize' the different so that they may fit the pattern, the norm, the format. It's scary to think what we would choose if someone's skin color or sexual orientation could be changed with a simple operation.