Dangerous theory or ‘armless joke?
Perhaps this is merely an academic curio without real world consequences — but here goes. Two Australian philosophers have argued in an international journal that amputating the healthy limbs of people suffering from body integrity identity disorder is justifiable. BIID is a rare psychological disorder which has become better known in recent years after a 2003 documentary, “Whole”, about people who desperately wanted their limbs, or some of them, lopped off. A Scottish surgeon amputated at least two limbs from sufferers before he was told to stop.
Tim Bayne, of Macquarie University, and Neil Levy, of the University of Melbourne, rely mostly on their understanding of informed consent. They say that there are no compelling arguments against this quirky desire. “BIID sufferers meet reasonable standards for rationality and autonomy: so long as no effective treatment for their disorder is available, surgeons ought to be allowed to accede to their requests,” they argue. They also assume that mind and body are not integrally united: “in an important sense, a limb that is not experienced as one’s own is not in fact one’s own.”
- Prescribe morning-after pills to young teenagers, say US pediatric group - November 30, 2012
- Bahrain sentences protest docs to prison - November 28, 2012
- Terry Pratchett assisted suicide documentary wins International Emmy - November 27, 2012
More Stories
Assisted suicide numbers in Oregon continue to rise
In 1997, Oregon became the first jurisdiction to legalise physician-assisted suicide for people with a terminally illness. Since then numbers have increased...
Belgian softens penalties for illegal euthanasia deaths
Belgian doctors can be prosecuted if they administer euthanasia without regard to the specified conditions. But however serious the infraction...
What does the world’s ‘low-fertility’ future look like?
Decades of fretting about over-population and encouraging contraception and abortion have succeeded. But the dream of zero population growth has...
Contradictory attitudes towards people with Down syndrome
March 21st was World Down Syndrome day. The event is supposed to foster awareness of Trisomy 21, as the condition...
The Gambia on track to reverse ban on female genital mutilation
In the United States, Australia, and Europe there can be no cause more popular, more humane, and more progressive than...
Some Americans are disposing of their costly frozen embryos
The cost of storing frozen embryos is steadily rising in the United States, prompting some people to have them destroyed....