THE PARENTS of a severely disabled toddler who drowned in an inflatable pool made inquiries about euthanasia, an inquest has been told.
The two-year-old girl, who cannot be named, was discovered face down in the pool at her Curl Curl home in December 2007.In the months before her death, she had been diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition that occurs almost exclusively in girls and results in a deterioration in speech, balance and co-ordination.
In his opening to Deputy State Coroner Scott Mitchell, counsel assisting the inquest Steven Kelly said the parents had been "shocked" by their daughter's condition and upset that it had ruined their "idyllic" Northern Beaches lifestyle.
"(The father) said that (the girl) was dragging us down," Mr Kelly said
"(He asked during a meeting with DOCS workers) why do they keep disabled children alive?"
The inquest heard a foster care placement had been secured just weeks before the toddler's death, but her parents declined it because her grandmother was coming to stay.
Mr Kelly said the inquest would examine whether her drowning was accidental or whether it had been a "deliberate act."
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