Face Transplants

[Anglican77]

The first partial face transplant was completed in France recently and doctors in Cleveland are preparing for the first full face transplant. You can read a brief article on it below.

articles.health.msn.com/id/100112040

Just curious what thoughts you all have on this. I remember reading about a severely disfigured girl, Jacqui Saburido, and she was featured briefly on a show about face transplants on the Discovery Health channel. I just saw the tail end of the program so I didn’t hear whether or not she is a candidate for the surgery. On the program, they discussed the ethical issues facing the family of the deceased. The question raised was if the deceased’s face would be recognizable on the new body. The doctor’s looked at pictures of a transplant done on two corpses and could not tell the difference. The other issues presented was how to counsel these patients beforehand to get them ready to have a new face. I would think this wouldn’t be such an issue since this procedure is being used on severe disfigurations where the patient already does not look like their previous self.

What other ethical dilemmas does this present?

 

[Della]

This presents no ethical problems according to Church teaching that I know of. The tissue used is not eggs or sperm but only skin and other material.

As far as the person looking like the donor, well, once the flesh has been put onto a different person it may or may not look like the donor, but even so there are many people who look like others and it is no problem. This part of it isn’t an ethical question as far as I can tell, but rather one of sensibilities.

You know the same sorts of questions came up when hearts and other organs were being transplanted. Most recipients and donor families have been quite happy with their results and felt gratitude for the gift and pride in the family member that was so generous.

 

[koda]

Della:

This presents no ethical problems according to Church teaching that I know of. The tissue used is not eggs or sperm but only skin and other material.

As far as the person looking like the donor, well, once the flesh has been put onto a different person it may or may not look like the donor, but even so there are many people who look like others and it is no problem. This part of it isn’t an ethical question as far as I can tell, but rather one of sensibilities.

You know the same sorts of questions came up when hearts and other organs were being transplanted. Most recipients and donor families have been quite happy with their results and felt gratitude for the gift and pride in the family member that was so generous.

I agree with Della.

 

[precious_roy]

I’m gonna revive this one because there was a discussion at my parishs youth group about this.

In essence, the argument was one of brain death versus actual death and the Churchs stance on this. If the person who was used as the donor for the face transplant was still technically alive, was this then ethical? What is the offical teachings on when a person is ‘dead’? Does that coincide with when the soul disconnects from the body or what?

 

[Lorarose]

In essence, the argument was one of brain death versus actual death and the Churchs stance on this. If the person who was used as the donor for the face transplant was still technically alive, was this then ethical? What is the offical teachings on when a person is ‘dead’? Does that coincide with when the soul disconnects from the body or what?

Brain death has been accepted as a valid definition of death.
All brain activity ceases - reflexes are lost - and often the organs begin shutting down even when the patient is still on the ventilator.
The ventilator is the only thing keeping the patient “alive” - but it is a false impression of “life.” When the ventilator is shut off, the patient does not gasp for breath.
There is non-subjective criteria that needs to be met, and 2 to 3 doctors must agree in order for death to be declared.
When it is officially declared the doctors have the legal right to turn off the ventilator.
The Church has welcomed (name removed by moderator)ut from the medical community regarding this issue - and has given support for organ donation.

Brain death is not to be confused with coma, or vegetative state - which are more complicated issues.