I saw on television today that a 12 year old girl recently underwent liposuction surgery. She is not the youngest person to undergo surgery, so that is not why this issue is so controversial.

I suppose the controversy of this issue lies in the fact that this procedure is often associated with vanity. Obesity has officially been declared an epidemic in America, and our national media is very image conscious. So, when you talk about a 12 year old girl having liposuction surgery, the first place your mind goes is to ask "How vain can you get?!"

For those of you who may not know, liposuction is a surgical procedure in which fat is directly removed from a person's body. That's right, a person is literally cut open, fat is taken out (like gutting a fish, or scraping the fat off of a chicken before baking it!), and then they are sewn up again.

I guess this fact adds to the controversy, because any surgical procedure is dangerous. Whenever you undergo surgery, your immune system is weakened due to the energy your body uses to try to heal itself after the procedure.

So, a person wonders, what are the parents of this girl thinking to allow their daughter to undergo dangerous, invasive, surgery, all for the sake of losing weight?

People may argue that it also encourages the girl to have the idea that she can get a quick fix to all of her problems as opposed to encouraging healthy habits such as eating right and exercising! There are people out there who are actually addicted to plastic surgery. So, you wonder how early you should get your kids started? Are you setting them up on a dangerous path?

Like I said before, this girl is not the youngest person to undergo surgery. Babies and toddlers undergo invasive surgery for congenital defects (i.e. people who are born deformed), but people argue that those people can't help being born with those problems and have no alternative solution. This girl just seems vain, and her parents are supporting her vanity!!!

But then again, 12 years old is not as young as we try to make it seem. I think the main idea behind the whole age issue is that people are living longer than ever these days (according to scientists). So, even though a 12 year old may have been old enough to marry in ancient times, nowadays, we need to be careful about raising our kids. (Speaking of 12 year olds, I went to school with a girl who had a baby at 12 years old) So, are we asking too much of our kids when we demand a certain level of "maturity" from them?

I think more and more parents are taking drastic measures to make sure their kids "fit in" in this demanding society. They rush to get their kids in the best schools, put them on "smart drugs", get them surgery (If they have the money, that is) so they can stay ahead of the curve. But is this healthy?

I remember a few years ago, one of the leading stories was a teenager whose parents got her breast implants...

I have no opinions on this matter, because these are not my kids and I don't know the situation of the parents or the kids. I just think we should all try to make good and healthy decisions for ourselves and our children.

What do you think?