Board Thread:Comics/@comment-26295738-20150628215510/@comment-1038387-20150629195428

That's why I liked Babs in Beware the Batman. She was Oracle without being Batgirl, or crippled. Because it had the luxury of not having to give a shit. She can be a supersmart hacking helping hand because she is exactly that; not because she's sidelined from her primary superhero job.

New 52 had to do it, because everything Batman happened (imagine the upset Batman fans), and fancy research or something allowed doctors to restore stuff. But Batman didn't really use it and Batgirl only mentioned it in passing and flashbacks. However, for the most part, it's ignored. I can't recall, but I'd imagine if it was used, probably during Death of the Family. I think the change touches upon a legitimate plothole in most comics (namely, with so many advanced civilazations, why wouldn't they revolutionalize Earth's medicine?) and then doesn't make a point of it. It's kind of pointless to have though; in the New 52, the character would've made just as much sense if it didn't happen.