81]I don't get upset if you insist on saying that my child is "fixed," despite the explanations already provided for why this isn't the case. It just baffles me why you would want to talk about a child in such a way. [/B]
It's not an accurate description and gives the wrong impression that with this surgery, the child can hear exactly like a typical hearing person. If there were "fix" then my child would not need to wear processors to hear, and her cochlea would manage sounds as it was designed to do. The cochlear implant procedure doesn't address or repair the damaged part of the cochlea at all.
If there was a transplant procedure that replaced the damaged cochlea, or hair cell transplants, or stem cell therapy that produced working hair cells, then I would consider that more like what you are calling a "fix" and what i might call a repair.
Also, the word "fix" has a negative connotation that might also be considered demeaning, because we don't say that we "fix" people, we fix toys, we fix cars, and other inanimate objects. Getting a pet "fixed" means that you've had them neutered. "I'll fix you" is a threat. "Price fixing" and "the game was fixed" are often used as negatives. You "fix this mess".
But calling cochlear implants a "fix" is like handing a paraplegic a wheelchair and saying, 'there, I've "fixed" you."
But mostly, I've rarely if ever heard of a parent who said that he wants to fix his child, or a doctor claim that surgery fixes hearing, yet I often hear accusations from others: "what makes you think you have the right to fix your child." Context is important.
