Why is it such a seminal moment? Because, while the surgery itself is no more of a breakthrough than hundreds that have come before it, enhancing the quality of life, it is one with which every single person can readily identify.
How would I feel if my face were used on someone else? Does my organ transplant donor card include this? Do I need to take some action to stipulate my desires?
Years ago, I read a piece written by a futurist who postulated that we would be able to do head transplants within 25 years. I used it as a teaching tool when discussing medical ethics with my "Contemporary Issues" students. It never failed to generate a heated, yet thoughtful, discussion. This transplant of a face is not so powerful as to harness the deceased person's thoughts, but, on the gut-level, it comes pretty close.
While the president-elect has more than enough on his plate, let's hope that as he makes appointments that enter into this realm, he will be wise enough to appoint people who will engage the American people in a national discussion of these intense and immense issues of bio-ethics.
The Monarch
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