Compassionate or Infantilizing?

In light of our concern for human dignity, is it permissible to deliberately stunt a disabled child's growth and prevent her from reaching puberty in order to maintain her "quality of life?"  CNN reports:

Ashley, 9, has a condition called static encephalopathy, which means an unchanging brain injury of unknown origin. She's in a permanent infant-like state -- can't hold her head up, speak or roll over on her own.

When Ashley was 6 years old, her parents and doctors agreed to have her uterus and breast buds removed so she'll never reach puberty. She was given estrogen treatments and will never be more than 4 feet 5 inches and 75 pounds. Like the Terri Schaivo story before her, Ashley and her story have a lot to say about what it means to be disabled, what it means to be different and what it means to be human.

You can read an interview with the medical ethicist who approved the treatment here.