Sunday evening notes

I was saddened to hear of the deaths of five young people in Crandon, Wisconsin, who were shot and killed by a policeman in the early hours, local time, of this morning. Circumstances are being investigated.

In Cuba, a train collided with a bus, which got pushed along the tracks and over the parapet of a bridge. Twenty-eight were killed in that incident in the province of Granma, 500 miles east of Havana.

Another question of morality popped up on a day where some journalers will have whitened out their blogs in protest against abortion practices. The mother of a girl of 15 has asked doctors to carry out a hysterectomy on her daughter, who is severely disabled as a result of cerebral palsy. The mother has explained that periods would cause her daughter discomfort and loss of dignity; the girl, Katie, would not be able to understand what menstruation was about. Katie's mother has also stated that she is her daughter's guardian with her best interests at heart.
In opposition, a charity for the disabled, Scope, has reacted with alarm, saying that Katie's human rights would be infringed. There are plenty of women who experience discomfort during their monthly periods, but that is not a reason for a hysterectomy. In their perspective, it raises the spectre of sterilising disabled people who are unable to give consent themselves.
I am somewhat inclined against this intervention, although I understand the mother's motivation and think they are borne of genuine concern. Removal of the womb in severely disabled girls is something that cannot be done as a matter of course, and will have to be considered on a case by case basis, with the initial answer being: no, unless.