Hypothetically, say I set up an appointment to have my left testicle removed, because I think it is possessed by demons. I don’t provide a reason why I want it removed, I just want it gone. What would a surgeon do? Would he be like, “okay, let’s do it!” or “I can’t, I don’t have a reason to”? Are there rules regarding such requests?
I imagine an insurance company would deem such a thing to be “cosmetic” and would make me pay for it in full, so assume I am ready and willing to pay whatever it costs to get the demon-possessed jewel removed from my body.
Hopefully any competent surgeon would walk you over to the nearest shrink’s office,
and hopefully the shrink would initiate action to get you commited.
Assuming having only one removed doesn’t have any hormonal effects on your body, I don’t see why a cosmetic surgeon wouldn’t do it.
You can have a piece of your nose or chin removed if you want. Women can have part of their breasts removed to make them smaller for cosmetic reasons. I’m not sure what the problem would be with a surgery like this.
Are you suggesting that anyone who wants any plastic surgery for any reason is mentally ill or just this specific surgery…or somewhere in between?
The way I see it, especially in a case like this, if it’s going to make them happy and it’s not going to have any effect on anyone else, what’s the problem. Hell, no one else is even going to know about it.
ETA, I forgot about the whole “possessed by demons” thing from the OP. If that’s what you were referring to, then nevermind. Forget I even mentioned it.
As a point of comparison, from what I hear it’s nearly impossible for an adult woman of sound mind to find a surgeon who will perform elective surgery to remove a healthy uterus, or even to render her unable to bear children in any other way. Especially if she doesn’t already have children. (“You might change your mind,” etc.)
So why should it be OK for a man to elect to have a testicle removed?
They’re willing to turn you into a female, so where’s the problem of cutting off your left nut. There are doctors ready to take care of you. For the price of a ticket to Thailand there is a doctor that will do it for you regardless of the new government ban. You be one good ladyboy. Hot stuff.
Indeed, I think you can easily get it done over here. Usually the procedure, which I believe is called an orchiectomy, is part and parcel of a sex-change procedure, but certain doctors and clinics are very accommodating.
A relevant case may be that of Dr. John Ronald Brown (wikipedia) who was sentenced to 15 years in prison after botching the leg amputation of man who suffered from " Body integrity identity disorder – a desire to have a healthy limb amputated."
ISTR this has been done by a few men who were struggling against their own urges to molest children; they sought surgical castration, were rejected, and out of desperation cut off (and discarded) their own testicles and then went to the ER to have things patched up.
Don’t you dare compare this to transsexualism. Sex reassignment surgery is done for a sound, established medical reason, and only after a lengthy, rigorous process of vetting by doctors. Unethical practices in Thailand notwithstanding. It has nothing in common with the OP. That was actually really insulting.
I think that a doctor has a duty to his/her patient that goes beyond just going whatever in the hell he/she is told. I would think it would be a violation of his duty to not inquire further as to why you wanted a strange procedure like having a testicle removed. If it was for a legitimate reason (I have testicular cancer, I want gender reassignment, etc.) then he would either perform it, get an opinion from another doctor, or tell you that he doesn’t do that and refer you to another doctor.
I would also think that a doctor who performed that operation just because you wanted to engage him in a thought experiment would be remiss in his duties, and like the first response said, he would probably be advised to send you to a shrink if you are wanting to cut off a testicle for no legitimate reason.
Really, though, isn’t this common sense. I can’t walk into a doctor’s office, demand that he stab me in the arm and give me a script for oxycodone. “Yes, sir! Right away, sir!”
I can attest to the difficulties getting “fixed” as a female. It was damn dear impossible to even get an IUD as a virginal non-child-bearing female.
One of my friends does not want children at all, and she worked with three different shrinks and went through I think 6 or 7 doctors before she finally got one willing to perform an elective hysterectomy on her… if she waited until she was 25. None of the others would even consider it.
I personally hope that eventually, there’s not going to be much ethical difference between chopping off an appendage or turning off a “natural function” like ability to procreate, and performing other “cosmetic” surgeries like facelifts and tummy tucks.
To my mind, it’s sort of unfair that if someone really doesn’t want a certain body part, they AUTOMATICALLY become labelled as mentally unstable and unable to decide what they want to do with their bodies.
