RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Informed dissent: the view of a disabled woman JF Journal of Medical Ethics JO J Med Ethics FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics SP 75 OP 76 DO 10.1136/jme.12.2.75 VO 12 IS 2 A1 Alison Davis YR 1986 UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/12/2/75.abstract AB Madeleine Simms begins her article by saying that it will attempt to `redress the balance' of views on the conflicting rights of handicapped children and their parents. I, on the other hand, will argue that no semblance of a balance has yet been achieved, and that her questions and conclusions merely serve to tip the scales further away from a genuine rights-based theory to a pragmatic utilitarian assessment of individual `worth'.