Cutting to the Core (eBook)

Exploring the Ethics of Contested Surgeries

David Benatar (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: EPUB

2006
246 Seiten
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (Verlag)
978-0-7425-7616-2 (ISBN)

Infos

When the benefits of surgery do not outweigh the harms or where they do not clearly do so, surgical interventions become morally contested. Cutting to the Core examines a number of such surgeries, including infant male circumcision and cutting the genitals of female children, the separation of conjoined twins, surgical sex assignment of intersex children and the surgical re-assignment of transsexuals, limb and face transplantation, cosmetic surgery, and placebo surgery.

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Surgery inevitably inflicts some harm on the body. At the very least, it damages the tissue that is cut. These harms often are clearly outweighed by the overall benefits to the patient. However, where the benefits do not outweigh the harms or where they do not clearly do so, surgical interventions become morally contested. Cutting to the Core examines a number of such surgeries, including infant male circumcision and cutting the genitals of female children, the separation of conjoined twins, surgical sex assignment of intersex children and the surgical re-assignment of transsexuals, limb and face transplantation, cosmetic surgery, and placebo surgery. When, if ever, do the benefits of these surgeries outweigh their costs? May a surgeon perform dangerous procedures that are not clearly to the patient's benefit, even if the patient consents to them? May a surgeon perform any surgery on a minor patient if there are no clear benefits to that child? These and other related questions are the core themes of this collection of essays.

Autor

David Benatar is an associate professor and head of the philosophy department at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Inhalt

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction: The Ethics of Contested Surguries Chapter 3 Chapter I: Male Circumcision and Female Genital Cutting Chapter 4 1. Between Prophylaxis and Child Abuse: The Ethics of Neonatal Male Circumcision Chapter 5 2. The Ethics of Neonatal Male Circumcision: Helping Parents to Decide Chapter 6 3. Genital Alteration of Female Minors Chapter 7 Chapter II: Sex Assignment and Reassignment Surgery Chapter 8 4. The Ethics of Surgically Assigning Sex for Intersex Infants Chapter 9 5. Transsexualism and Gender Reassignment Surgery Chapter 10 Chapter III: Separating Conjoined Twins Chapter 11 6. Separating Conjoined Twins: Disability, Ontology and Moral Status Chapter 12 7. Conjunction and Separation: Viable Relationships, Equitable Partings Chapter 13 Chapter IV: Limb and Face Transplantation Chapter 14 8. Ethical Issues in Limb Transplants Chapter 15 9. Changing faces: Ethics, identity and facial transplantation Chapter 16 Chapter V: Cosmetic Surgery Chapter 17 10. A Defence of Cosmetic Surgery Chapter 18 11. Beauty under the Knife: A Feminist Appraisal of Cosmetic Surgery Chapter 19 Chapter VI: Placebo Surgery Chapter 20 12. The Emperor's New Scar: The Ethics of Placebo Surgery Chapter 21 13. Sham Surgery and Reasonable Risks Chapter 22 Suggestions for Further Reading Chapter 23 Index Chapter 24 About the Editor and Contributors

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 7.3.2006
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Ethik
• Themenwelt: Medizin / Pharmazie ► Medizinische Fachgebiete ► Chirurgie
• Themenwelt: Medizin / Pharmazie ► Medizinische Fachgebiete ► Medizinethik
• Themenwelt: Studium ► Querschnittsbereiche ► Geschichte / Ethik der Medizin
• ISBN-10: 0-7425-7616-7 / 0742576167
• ISBN-13: 978-0-7425-7616-2 / 9780742576162