The Ethical Issues behind Plastic Surgery
Thomas McElhenney “The Ethical Issues behind Cosmetic Surgery, and how JS Mill and Immanuel Kant would view it
The article I chose is entitled “Ethnic Differences Emerge in Plastic Surgery” and was written by Sam Dolnick for the New York Times on February 19, 2011. It explains that cosmetic plastic surgery is no longer an opportunity limited to wealthy suburbanites. In New York City, there has been a surge of immigrants having plastic surgeries that are correlated with their ethnic beauty standards. Furthermore, doctors practicing in various ethnic enclaves throughout the city have seen; Italians having their knees reshaped, Egyptians getting face-lifts, Iranians getting nose jobs, Dominican women getting their buttocks’ lifted, Asians having “double eye-lid surgery” or receiving a crease in their eyelids to make their eyes appear rounder, and Russians getting breast implants. The article goes on to contrast the cultural beauty standards or tastes between one group of wealthy Long Island suburbanites with Washington Heights’ ancestrally Dominican citizens, where, in Long Island suburbs they want fat removed from their behinds, and in Washington Heights they want their rear ends enlarged and rounded.
There are three ethical issues present in this article, the first being the usage of surgery to improve patients’ psychological self-esteem issues versus the usage of surgery for traditional health reasons. The second issue is the fact that doctors are willing to offer layaway plans to help patients afford operations, but even more precarious, unlicensed practitioners are performing illegal surgery throughout most ethnic enclaves. The third is the belief that American pop culture and media have a role in affecting people’s personal awareness and ideals of beauty, and this is making them much more willing to have unnecessary cosmetic plastic surgery performed.
John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarian doctrine is the first ethical theory I chose to apply to these ethical
The article I chose is entitled “Ethnic Differences Emerge in Plastic Surgery” and was written by Sam Dolnick for the New York Times on February 19, 2011. It explains that cosmetic plastic surgery is no longer an opportunity limited to wealthy suburbanites. In New York City, there has been a surge of immigrants having plastic surgeries that are correlated with their ethnic beauty standards. Furthermore, doctors practicing in various ethnic enclaves throughout the city have seen; Italians having their knees reshaped, Egyptians getting face-lifts, Iranians getting nose jobs, Dominican women getting their buttocks’ lifted, Asians having “double eye-lid surgery” or receiving a crease in their eyelids to make their eyes appear rounder, and Russians getting breast implants. The article goes on to contrast the cultural beauty standards or tastes between one group of wealthy Long Island suburbanites with Washington Heights’ ancestrally Dominican citizens, where, in Long Island suburbs they want fat removed from their behinds, and in Washington Heights they want their rear ends enlarged and rounded.
There are three ethical issues present in this article, the first being the usage of surgery to improve patients’ psychological self-esteem issues versus the usage of surgery for traditional health reasons. The second issue is the fact that doctors are willing to offer layaway plans to help patients afford operations, but even more precarious, unlicensed practitioners are performing illegal surgery throughout most ethnic enclaves. The third is the belief that American pop culture and media have a role in affecting people’s personal awareness and ideals of beauty, and this is making them much more willing to have unnecessary cosmetic plastic surgery performed.
John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarian doctrine is the first ethical theory I chose to apply to these ethical