The Body in Bioethics

Recent debates about uses and abuses of the human body in medicine have highlighted the need for a thorough discussion of the ethics of the uses of bodies, both living and dead. Thorough and comprehensive, this volume explores different views of the significance of the human body and contrasting those which regard it as a commodity or personal possession with those which stress its moral value as integral to the personal identity of individuals. The Body in Bioethics addresses a number of key questions including: Should it be legal to sell human organs for transplantation? Are public displays of plastinated bodies or public autopsies morally justifiable? Should there be restrictions on the uses of human tissue in teaching and research? Is the rapid increase in volume and range of cosmetic surgery a matter for moral concern? This careful study of moral values provides essential background to many of the current controversies in medical ethics and is essential reading for all students of law, medical law and medical ethics.