BIID Disorder

Body Integrity Identity Disorder

In the care ethics bowl case regarding the BIID Disorder, it brought up the question of if whether or not it should be legal to perform surgeries to help these people. People with this disorder feel like some part of there body should not be there, and have a constant awareness of this, which can be very annoying. Many people suffering from this disorder also are so bothered by it, that they try to fix it themselves, which can be very dangerous. People have used drain cleaner to attempt to blind themselves, and even shot off their leg to try to amputate it. Doctors who try to help these patients do it in a safe way risk their medical license being taken away. This is because they are supposed to do no harm to people, and they are removing body parts from patients are perfectly healthy. Even if someone with this disorder can get the procedure done successfully, how can they be sure if they will be happy with the irreversible results?

So, what is the solution?

I believe it should be legal, but with that being said, I also believe it should be very regulated, and done case by case. Of course, they should get counseling first, as it is a big deal and considered a disorder, but in the end if the patient really wants it, they should be allowed to have it done. A good way to understand this point of view it is by seeing these procedures like plastic surgery, a legal form of altering one's body through surgery, even though it is not necessary. With plastic surgery, you can never be sure of the results until it is done, but it is a risk people should be allowed to take with their bodies. Now if someone feels they should be paralyzed, or any other extreme and possibly life threatening change, they should try to get therapy instead, as these cases are most likely too dangerous to perform, as some plastic surgeries cases can be, such as too many lip injections, in which case the doctor will be able to refuse to do the surgery. If these surgeries remain illegal, people with this disorder will likely try to do it themselves, which can be very dangerous since they are probably not professional surgeons.

It could also even be dangerous to others. Just take the movie Silence of The Lambs for example. The serial killer, Buffalo Bill, murdered may women and cut off their skin because he was denied for gender reassignment surgery. This surgery was unnecessary, but if you want something bad enough, you'll do whatever it takes. This is very unlikely, but all the more reason to legalize it.