fracas

Wow, this really raises some interesting questions. You’re right: we automatically assume the Western attitude that any anomly must be fixed. But maybe we can learn a lesson about what’s considered “normal” in other cultures. I think it’s amazing and beautiful that people are worshipping this precious little baby.

Fascinating! It would be amazing to see this person as a figurehead in culture in the future. To destroy her God-given difference would to eliminate a precious gift. It may look like coal on the outside, but underneath, hidden under the soot lies the diamond. But that is one person’s opinion, and may the wisdom of the parents prove best. Thanks for posting! May Jesus bless.

I don’t think surgery would be a good idea. The baby has only one brain and would likely die. If she’s ok as she is and is healthy and strong, why not leave her the way she is? She’s lucky she’s born in a country that can accept her as she is. God chose her to be extra special. There are enough normal people on earth that aren’t really normal.

A society that believes her to be an incarnation of deity is not exactly “non judgmental,” nor even less judgemental than a society that assumes a chld will be happier if she resembles other humans more closely.

fortunately, it isn’t up to any of us to “let” her do this or that or do nothing at all. Although it seems sometimes we Americans think we should dictate how the rest of the world lives. I would certainly be torn about leaving her as is or trying to ‘fix’ her. Based on the photo, it doesn’t look like she will be able to comfortably look straight ahead, and perhaps won’t be able to walk. Her parents seem like they love her and are capable of making the right decision.

Wow. It is certainly amazing what genes can produce. All social issues aside, the first thing that came to my mind was, “Imagine her voice!”

I don’t know what that says about me. But, more and more, I’m coming to believe that that though expesses my firm desire to see this child grow up and be loved as much as and by as many people as possible.

Go ahead! Worship her if it gives her the best life possible. Much better than the alternatives (I’m sorry to say) that I can come up with.

I can’t wait to hear her voice.

H. Stevens: Did you read the article? Medical practioners said that, “in Lali’s case, doctors say she is fine and everything is going well. ”

So, medical issues aside, if she was lucky enough to be born in a country that can appreciate her unique qualities, then why should they risk killing her to “fix” her? From the point of view of a Hindu, she doesn’t seem to be broken. From their point of view, she is blessed.

I’m somewhat shocked by some of the things I’m reading here. So many of you want so badly
to believe that “everyone is special in their own way” that you’re being blinded by the
reality of the situation. Lali should be thoroughly evaluated by competent medical professionals
who can only then offer their advice to the child’s parents. I’ll go out on a limb and presume
the parents are uneducated (I didn’t say stupid) and that such advice might help them to make an
informed decision about what to do – if anything. I totally disagree with those of you who say
they should wait until the child is old enough to make her own decision. There is probably
significant neurological involvement in this deformity so if there is any possibility of
giving this child a chance at a normal appearance, then the time to do it is when she is
an infant where the brain and other systems are most adapatable. I can’t believe O’Maolchathaigh
compared her to a cat! Because a cat seemed to live a normal life and was loved, we should make
the same choices for a human! Reality check!

Perhaps there is nothing that can be done for Lali. In that case, nyota0uhura would like to
believe that Lali will be perfectly OK in her remote Indian village where she will be worshipped,
and as a result, her parents will better be able to take care of her and feed her because of
her “celebrity”. I’m sure nyota0uhura would never advocate a freak show but is this any
different? Back in the day when freak shows were popular, many of the “differently normal” people
who were displayed made decent money and lived better lives than they might ordinarily have.
Did that fact make their exploitation any more moral or ethical? I see little difference here except
that people are coming to see Lali and give offerings because they see her as a god and not a freak.
It would be a huge injustice to the child if the parents chose not to treat her for this reason. If
her condition is untreatable then perhaps this destiny is not so bad.

In response to Elizabeth who suggested I didn’t read the article: Well I did read it and I wondered
who these “doctos” were that were given such vague reference and said all was well. I also read some
other articles where I came across the quote “Singh said he took his daughter to a hospital in New Delhi where
doctors suggested a CT scan to determine whether her internal organs were normal, but Singh said
he felt it was unnecessary.” Well there you go Elizabeth. From outward appearances in the first
few weeks of the child’s life, everything seems to be going well. I also read the medical
literature on this condition (did you?) and the possibility that everything will continue to
go well is unlikely.

Maybe some of you recall a similar event last November when an Indian child who was born with
a conjoined twin giving her 8 limbs was being revered as the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi.
Her parents faced similar difficult choices but ultimately decided it was in the child’s best
interest to remove the conjoined twin. They realized there were unscrupulous people who wanted
to exploit the child and not so naive as to believe that she could remain in her village to be
worshipped her whole life. For Lali’s benefit, I hope her parents seek out the best advice so
they can make a choice that’s in the best interest of their child.

wordseldomsaid has gotten to the heart of the matter…all the other responses are just cliches in a sea of conjecture…

robert martin …. maybe judgmental was an in correct phrase.. I just want this child to be left alone. But if she is left in a world where she is adored rather than shunned then that is the lesser of the 2 evils. Let her live her days in love rather than the ‘nip and tuck’ , ’so she looks like she should how we accept’ world we live in. The poor thing should be left in peace and happiness of those who love her,
Probably I have not put this so well but I feel if it was my child I would prefer her to be loved as she is than put under hours of surgery … I will say no more

Personally, it should be the baby’s health that comes first. If the kid is doing fine as-is, maybe she should be left as-is unless problems appear later. Then again, I’m not her parents so who am I to say?

I agree with glaize. There will probably be some health issues for Lali in her life. For right now she is doing well. Later, if her parents decide to, she can have the CT scan. She is only a baby and should be taken care of acourdingly. It will not be known until later, when she has grown some, what other needs she may have. She is not a freak show either, she is really quite beautiful.

It’s a disgusting baby but I was expecting worst.

wow i love the way you are so dead on about the difference in the way the world works … all i can say is that i think they way they act is beautiful … they not only accept her differences but they they praise her for it and believe she is beautiful for it …

speaking as a person with a rare condition … and living here in the west i know its hard to measure up to the standards of beauty … but i am happy she is in a place where she does not have too …

as far as the question of her parents having operations to change anything … i personaly feel that if it is not broke don’t fix it … but don’t leave it broken either …

They keep referring to she, not they. Both eyes blink?
Are they sure there is not two brains? I read the parents refused a brainscan. Are they sure it is a parasitic twin? I guess the only way to tell is if the mouth and eyes move in sinc. I read she eats out of both mouths. That doesn’t sound like a cranial facial duplication to me. It sounds like two seperate children.

Anomolies such as this occur, but most don’t survive.

Why the villification of Canadian or American culture?

Being proudly American, I would like to say that the “culture” referred to by fracas is not common to our community in Western Pennsylvania. It is more commonly observed by us via Hollywood, NYC or San Francisco or LA. We aren’t all shallow. Most of us are too busy working to be bothered with excessive vanity here, but we love our kids and would most likely want the best treatment available for the healthy survival of our children. Why is that bad?

Isn’t the plastic surgury capitol of the world somewhere in South America?

I wish Lali well.

I’m a nurse, and so I find this baby fascinating. I want to know all about her physical condition, internal structures, brain function. God, what I would give to study her! As her parents are satisfied to leave things as they are, the opportunity to learn about her is not likely to happen. Which is only right. They deserve their privacy and the right to live with their own decisions. I’ll certainly be praying for them and wish them the very best.

i understand the parents painm my parents head me in the basement for 18 years they cooked my meals all the time but they did not want me out the house at all because of what people might say about me i was also born with 2 faces but i had it remove 5 years ago byu a privet doctor i go to school now and i’m still learning how to spell and type i have a family of my own now so i just wanted to leave this comment for that little girl.i will prey for you love scout king:) :):) :):)

it seems to me, not that i know so much, like it would hurt her if they cut off one of the faces, or whatever people mean when they say ‘fix it’. but if it’s gonna be better for her to have only one face, well do it! it’s pretty wierd, and if she wasn’t being treated as a goddess, then she’d probably get bullied or killed or something. so if she’s not going to die shouldn’t everybody just deal with it? this is the parent’s desicion, and if Lali’s brain is ok, hers.
there’s these two girls that share a body and basically just have a head each and they just control half. western girls. {i think their names are abbey and brittany}. why didn’t the parents have one of the heads cut off at birth? probably the same reason Lali’s parents didn’t get a face removed.

Deedee – If you read the entire post, you’d see that craniofacial duplication is not related to conjoined twins, it’s a separate condition.

On this I agree… medical professionals aren’t always concerned enough with the people behind the conditions they talk about.

Deb – You make a very good point to consider.

Anita – Anita… my post was cleary written to promote thought and discussion. I did not give an opinion as to whether or not I think correction should or shouldn’t be done, so you’re outrage is a bit misplaced. I quoted the physician’s assessment that she is not suffering and in acceptable health.

I also placed the word ‘normal’ in italics. Usually, a reader would understand that this means I am not using the word literally. I personally, do not believe in ‘normal’ and have 2/3 children with conditions that made some people consider them not ‘normal’ at different points in their lives. The italics were used to convey that perhaps we have created a culture for ourselves, where we should question our need to ‘fix’ everything and anything. Deb made a valid point about conjoined twins (though this isn’t a case of conjoining) because it shows that every case where a birth is very far from what we expect, a decision is not always made to “correct” it. Lali’s doctors did not say that she would or is suffering. This should be at least considered.

Lastly, your “No more money. No more love.” comment strikes me as a sad thing to say. It assumes that Lali could never be capable of anything other than issuing blessings for money. I didn’t read it that way. The article clearly said the people wanted to touch her out of respect. Where you see all of that as a negative, I see it as the people there treating her as something special and not a freak… something we could stand to learn over here.

My post asked people to consider the differences in how we think about these differences in perception. You clearly see her as no different than a freak show and so have made my point fairly well.

And you’ll notice… I still haven’t given an opinion as to whether or not she should have corrective surgery or not. It isn’t the point. The point was about us thinking about how we think about people.

60+ comments later, I hope that’s what people are at least trying to do.

i think that baby lali’s is at most amazing“~!it would be down right mean to even think about cutting off one of her face’s`~!to think thatshe would even get made fun of or treated badly let alone killed just because she has two faces is a sicking thing to even think about`~!i would to be able to meet the infumas baby lali and read about what might come about in the near future about her`~!as well as knowing how it will afect her growing up like exp will she be able to grow up and be able to have children of her own and what her childrens chances are of haveing the same kind of thing happen to them