Body -to-head transplant; a "caputal" crime? Examining the corpus of ethical and legal issues

Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine : PEHM
Zaev D Suskin, James Giordano

Abstract

Neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero proposed the HEAVEN procedure - i.e. head anastomosis venture - several years ago, and has recently received approval from the relevant regulatory bodies to perform this body-head transplant (BHT) in China. The BHT procedure involves attaching the donor body (D) to the head of the recipient (R), and discarding the body of R and head of D. Canavero's proposed procedure will be incredibly difficult from a medical standpoint. Aside from medical doubt, the BHT has been met with great resistance from many, if not most bio- and neuroethicists.Given both the known challenges and unknown outcomes of HEAVEN, several important neuroethical and legal questions have emerged should Canavero be successful, including: (1) What are the implications for transplantology in the U.S., inclusive of issues of expense, distributive justice, organizational procedures, and the cost(s) of novel insight(s)? (2) How do bioethical and neuroethical principles, and legal regulations of human subject research apply? (3) What are the legal consequences for Canavero (or any other surgeon) performing a BHT? (4) What are the tentative implications for the metaphysical and legal identity of R should they survive post-BHT? These questio...Continue Reading

References

Sep 11, 2009·Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation·Jill A Hoffman
Jul 14, 2010·American Journal of Kidney Diseases : the Official Journal of the National Kidney Foundation·John D Scandling, Douglas J Norman
Nov 28, 2013·Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery·Harriet KiwanukaBohdan Pomahac
Jan 7, 2014·Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine : PEHM·John R Shook, James Giordano
Oct 16, 2016·Acta neurochirurgica·Nayan LambaMarike L Broekman

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
sedation

Software Mentioned

Canavero
HEAVEN

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