Face Transplants

[Coooolo70]

Recently on the news (bbc) it was said a full face transplant would take place in several months in the UK. this includes the entire face with the possible exclusion of the ears. the face will be grafted onto someone who has a disfigured face to be selected randomly from several volunteers. this procedure has been carried out, in France, and was successful, but the entire face was not used.

I remember it being said in that news article, that there are 'serious moral implications' invoved with the procedure, but did not name any. I am curious to what they could possibly be and others view on this subject.

Thoughts, anyone?

[Cynic of Mammon]

I can't really see any true moral consequences, though the BBC did have this:

What are the ethical arguments against face transplants?

The psychological effects, both on the patient and on the donor's family, are a major concern.

There are doubts that families would consent to have the face of their loved one removed and transplanted onto someone else.

If they did give permission, how would these families react if they were to meet or see the patient?

And the recipient would have to come to terms with the fact that they do not look the way they did before.

They would also have to be comfortable wearing someone else's face. This cannot be taken for granted.

The man who received the world's first hand transplant asked for it to be removed, partly because he didn't like having somebody else's hand.

Don't know if that helps:huh: (and I'm not saying I agree, before i get mauled...)

[Mickie]

You don't look like the other person it is still your bone structure your eye color (etc etc). If anything it would look like someone who recieved plastic surgery (ala Michael Jackson) to change their appearance. Considering the alternative I can't imagine why anyone would have issues with this.

[Tigers!]

Don't know about the moral aspects but I know far too many people who are two-faced so they wouldn't need a transplant.

Seriously though, on the one hand a face transplant would be no different to another organ transplant.
But on the other hand as was pointed out the possibility of seeing the face of someone who had died on another person would be rather confronting.
My wife and I talked about it the other day and used the example of our daughter. Could we handle seeing her face on another girl even if it meant that the other girl was 'more complete'? Are we both agreed that we could not handle it. Too confronting.

[general_koffi]

As has been mentioned, you wouldn't look anything like the person you'd be getting the face from. Bone structure.

There are no real issues at stake here. People have overactive imaginations. "Fire scare caveman..."

[Streamwinner]

Seems like the ethical/moral objections come from an attachment to identity. I.e., is identity inherent in someone's face? Obviously we use facial recognition to indicate identity more than we use someone's liver, but topographically there's no inherently difference between body parts with regards to identity (since it's really a social construction).

If this attachment to identity is the only thing preventing a man getting a transplant that will better his life, than I would suggest that those who would get offended get over it.

[Anat]

Suppose out of the blue someone shows up that looks uncannilly similar to someone dear to you. Sure, it would be confusing at first, but don't people get used to things like that?

[Morgana]

What are the ethical arguments against face transplants?

The psychological effects, both on the patient and on the donor's family, are a major concern.

There are doubts that families would consent to have the face of their loved one removed and transplanted onto someone else.

If they did give permission, how would these families react if they were to meet or see the patient?

And the recipient would have to come to terms with the fact that they do not look the way they did before.

They would also have to be comfortable wearing someone else's face. This cannot be taken for granted.

The man who received the world's first hand transplant asked for it to be removed, partly because he didn't like having somebody else's hand.If I were to die, I hope that any part of me that could be used to improve someone else's life would be used. I think my family knows and understands that. People I have spoken with who have lost children and were able to donate organs gain great comfort from the knowledge that some good came out of tragedy. I don't see that a face would be that different.

As others have said, the recipient will not look like the donor.

The recipient would also have to come to terms with not being horribly disfigured any more. I bet they could cope.

There was a story about a year ago (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4484728.stm#) about a woman who got a face transplant.