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Surgeon, Media, Society, Patient: Four Factors in Determining the Ethics of Cosmetic Surgery

Surgeon, Media, Society, Patient: Four Factors in Determining the Ethics of Cosmetic Surgery

Brett Lunceford
Copyright: © 2018 |Pages: 29
ISBN13: 9781522550945|ISBN10: 1522550941|EISBN13: 9781522550952
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-5094-5.ch011
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MLA

Lunceford, Brett. "Surgeon, Media, Society, Patient: Four Factors in Determining the Ethics of Cosmetic Surgery." The Changing Scope of Technoethics in Contemporary Society, edited by Rocci Luppicini, IGI Global, 2018, pp. 197-225. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5094-5.ch011

APA

Lunceford, B. (2018). Surgeon, Media, Society, Patient: Four Factors in Determining the Ethics of Cosmetic Surgery. In R. Luppicini (Ed.), The Changing Scope of Technoethics in Contemporary Society (pp. 197-225). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5094-5.ch011

Chicago

Lunceford, Brett. "Surgeon, Media, Society, Patient: Four Factors in Determining the Ethics of Cosmetic Surgery." In The Changing Scope of Technoethics in Contemporary Society, edited by Rocci Luppicini, 197-225. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5094-5.ch011

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Abstract

For many, cosmetic surgery holds the promise that one can reshape his or her body to remove perceived defects and thus have a more perfect body. However, the decision to undergo elective cosmetic surgery is not made in a vacuum, and it is easy to overlook the full range of ethical considerations surrounding cosmetic surgery. Many medical ethicists subscribe to an ethical code that centers mainly on the relationship between the doctor and patient, with a focus on respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. This chapter builds on this framework by extending the scope of actors to include not only the surgeon and the patient but also the media and the overall society. To illustrate this framework, the author uses the example of actress Heidi Montag, who underwent 10 different plastic surgery procedures in one day. The chapter concludes with a discussion of potential correctives for ethical failures in each of these areas.

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