A deaf man in Washington state could be charged with contempt of court for refusing to force his partially deaf 8-year-old daughter to wear a coclear implant. "I want to give my daughter her own choices in life," says Shaun McLaughlin.

Emma McLaughlin-Orton can speak and hear well with the help of the hearing aids, although one of them is allegedly very uncomfortable. But her parents have split up and when she is with her father, she prefers not to wear them and to communicate with American sign language.

However, Mr McLaughlin’s estranged wife, Jennifer Orton Miller, has obtained a court order mandating that the child should wear the device during all waking hours, except when "activities would preclude" their use, such as swimming or wearing a helmet. According to the Spokesman-Review, this has enraged the deaf community. "I think it impacts them because deaf people feel like they don’t have sufficient authority over their own lives," says Emma’s father. "I guess I feel like, on the list of civil rights issues - - -we’re kind of toward the bottom of the list." ~ Spokesman Review, Apr 29