Cutting to the Core Exploring the Ethics of Contested Surgeries

by Benatar, David; Benatar, Michael; Cannold, Leslie; Davis, Dena; Spriggs, Merle; Savulescu, Julian; Draper, Heather; Evans, Neil; Hull, Richard; Wilkinson, Stephen; Wasserman, David; Dickenson, Donna; Widdershoven, Guy; Baylis, Françoise; Coleman, Stephen;

• ISBN13: 9780742550001
• ISBN10: 0742550001
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-07
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

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.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction: The Ethics of Contested Surgeries	1	(22)
David Benatar
Part I: Male Circumcision and Female Genital Cutting
Between Prophylaxis and Child Abuse: The Ethics of Neonatal Male Circumcision	23	(24)
Michael Benatar
David Benatar
The Ethics of Neonatal Male Circumcision: Helping Parents to Decide	47	(16)
Leslie Cannold
Genital Alteration of Female Minors	63	(16)
Dena S. Davis
Part II: Sex Assignment and Reassignment Surgery
The Ethics of Surgically Assigning Sex for Intersex Children	79	(18)
Merle Spriggs
Julian Savulescu
Transsexualism and Gender Reassignment Surgery	97	(16)
Heather Draper
Neil Evans
Part III: Separating Conjoined Twins
Separating Conjoined Twins: Disability, Ontology, and Moral Status	113	(14)
Richard Hull
Stephen Wilkinson
Conjunction and Separation: Viable Relationships, Equitable Partings	127	(14)
David Wasserman
Part IV: Limb and Face Transplantation
Ethical Issues in Limb Transplants	141	(14)
Donna Dickenson
Guy Widdershoven
Changing Faces: Ethics, Identity, and Facial Transplantation	155	(16)
Francoise Baylis
Part V: Cosmetic Surgery
A Defense of Cosmetic Surgery	171	(12)
Stephen Coleman
Beauty under the Knife: A Feminist Appraisal of Cosmetic Surgery	183	(14)
Rosemarie Tong
Hilde Lindemann
Part VI: Placebo Surgery
The Emperor's New Scar: The Ethics of Placebo Surgery	197	(14)
David Neil
Sham Surgery and Reasonable Risks	211	(18)
Alex John London
Suggestions for Further Reading	229	(4)
Index	233	(2)
About the Editor and Contributors	235