Cutting to the Core
Exploring the Ethics of Contested Surgeries
1st Edition
Published on 7. March 2006
1 pages
979-8-216-20522-7 (ISBN)
Description
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.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2006
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€153.10
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
David Benatar is an associate professor and head of the philosophy department at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Content
Part 1 Preface
Part 2 Introduction: The Ethics of Contested Surguries
Part 3 Part 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
Part 7 Part 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
Part 10 Part 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
Part 13 Part IV: Limb and Face Transplantation
Chapter 14 8. Ethical Issues in Limb Transplants
Chapter 15 9. Changing faces: Ethics, identity and facial transplantation
Part 16 Part V: Cosmetic Surgery
Chapter 17 10. A Defence of Cosmetic Surgery
Chapter 18 11. Beauty under the Knife: A Feminist Appraisal of Cosmetic Surgery
Part 19 Part VI: Placebo Surgery
Chapter 20 12. The Emperor's New Scar: The Ethics of Placebo Surgery
Chapter 21 13. Sham Surgery and Reasonable Risks
Part 22 Suggestions for Further Reading
Part 23 Index
Part 24 About the Editor and Contributors
Part 2 Introduction: The Ethics of Contested Surguries
Part 3 Part 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
Part 7 Part 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
Part 10 Part 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
Part 13 Part IV: Limb and Face Transplantation
Chapter 14 8. Ethical Issues in Limb Transplants
Chapter 15 9. Changing faces: Ethics, identity and facial transplantation
Part 16 Part V: Cosmetic Surgery
Chapter 17 10. A Defence of Cosmetic Surgery
Chapter 18 11. Beauty under the Knife: A Feminist Appraisal of Cosmetic Surgery
Part 19 Part VI: Placebo Surgery
Chapter 20 12. The Emperor's New Scar: The Ethics of Placebo Surgery
Chapter 21 13. Sham Surgery and Reasonable Risks
Part 22 Suggestions for Further Reading
Part 23 Index
Part 24 About the Editor and Contributors
