“My body my choice” appears to be the new rallying cry of people who want to have their limbs cut off by surgeons. No, they are not diseased limbs. As a matter of fact, they are perfectly healthy; at least physically. But in our strange world of moral ambiguity, there are some who think cutting off people’s perfectly healthy body parts is a completely rational medical procedure.
Should surgeons be permitted to amputate healthy limbs if patients request such operations? We argue that if such patients are experiencing significant distress as a consequence of the rare psychological disorder named Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), such operations might be permissible…BIID sufferers meet reasonable standards for rationality and autonomy: so as long as no other effective treatment for their disorder is available, surgeons ought to be allowed to accede to their requests.
For people of common sense, the answer is obvious: NO! First, who but a severely mentally disturbed person would want a healthy leg, arm, hand, or foot cut off? Such people need treatment, not amputation. Second, physicians are duty bound to “do no harm,” that is, they should refuse to provide harmful medical services to patients—no matter how earnestly requested. (Thus, if I were convinced that my appendix was actually a cancerous tumor, that would not justify my doctor acquiescing to my request for an appendectomy.) Finally, once the limb is gone, it is gone for good. Acceding to a request to be mutilated would amount to abandoning the patient.
But according to Bayne and Levy, and a minority of other voices in bioethics and medicine, the need to respect personal autonomy is so near-absolute that it should even permit doctors to cut off the healthy limbs of “amputee wannabes.” After all, the authors write, “we allow individuals to mould their body to an idealized body type ” in plastic surgery—a desire that is “more problematic than the desire for amputation” since cosmetic surgery “reinforces a very unfortunate emphasis on appearance over substance.” (Emphasis within the text.) moreover, the authors claim in full post modernist mode, just because a limb is biologically healthy, does not mean that the leg is real. Indeed, they argue, “a limb that is not experienced as one’s own is not in fact one’s own.”
Regarding 
Regarding 
Regarding 
Regarding 
Regarding 
Creepy.
Amen! And don’t you think the same could be said about elective tubal ligations and vasectomies? I mean, who in their right mind would take a perfectly healthy organ and break it? Turns out it’s not “my body” after all, but the Lord’s. (1 Cor 3:17; 6:19)
I know why you came here prolificpapa and I have a verse for you from the Proverbs.
““How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? Scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?”
Hey Joe,
I assure you I didn’t come to scoff. I came here because I enjoyed meeting you last week and talking with you about ancient Christian traditions. And I like your blog. It’s thoughtful, intelligent, well-written and funny. I felt compelled to comment because this story touches on a very serious moral issue that I think, sadly, has been overlooked by many Christians. Rereading my comment, I realize I stated my case a little too aggressively and may have sounded a bit inflammatory. I apologize. Please allow me to try again. I completely agreed with your analysis and I wanted to draw a logical inference from it. My point was that, like voluntary amputation, direct sterilization disregards the Hippocratic admonition to “do no harm.” It does violence to our bodily integrity and is rightly considered mutilation in that it renders an otherwise healthy organ inoperative. Is it not reasonable to ask why we consider maiming one part of our body morally impermissible and another permissible? Also, is it not a Biblical principle that our bodies belong to God and that we are to offer every part to Him as an instrument of righteousness? And shouldn’t St Paul’s warning about destroying our bodies give us serious pause in this matter? Shouldn’t we fear to offend a holy God who exalts our humble physical nature with His glorious presence?
Please understand I am not making a blanket condemnation of everyone who has been sterilized (there are many, I know). I think most simply don’t realize what they are doing. That’s why this poor sinner prays for their conversion.
Peace, Russ
Thanks for coming back to clarify your post and intent Russ. I also appreciate your desire to think this through and apply it.
I am not convinced that a vasectomie, which is a reversable procedure, is on par with killing an unborn child or cutting off a perfectly healthy leg. Neither of those can be undone.
great post thank you