I think this is a very interesting point, and thank you for mentioning it.
Personally I feel that it's difficult to decide what is ethical without knowing what is possible. And it's difficult to decide what is possible without research, and difficult to get research unless people know that there is a need for research.
I also think the ethics of doing it to a person who is willing and even desperate to have this experience, someone who might feel that the alternative is suicide, are complicated. It is possible that someone who is part or all of the way through this procedure might stop being able to give consent, for example. But that's also true of any medical procedure that requires a general anesthetic. You can't just stop in the middle. At this point, it is assumed that giving consent before the procedure is enough. I don't see why this should be different.
Some transgender people have transitioned and change their mind. Is it possible this could happen here? Yes, but that doesn't make transgender surgery unethical and it also doesn't make this unethical. It means there is a responsibility for the person to decide that this is what they really want. We should try to make sure that people won't regret it later by giving them as many details as possible about the truth of the procedure. But ultimately it is a person's own decision what to do with their bodies, and I am uncomfortable with any law or philosophy that suggests anything else.
There is also the possibility of partial transitions, for example. People who are therian or otherkin have grown up in a human life and a human body, and though they might experience dysphoria, a lot of them also don't want to leave their human life and friends. They imagine an "anthro" form like a furry that would be part human and part their species. If it was possible to make some small changes to the human form that still kept the human mind, a lot of people would accept this.
As well, species dysphoria being recognized does not just bring the possibility of physical transition. It also brings the possibility of counseling and support groups that support our needs. If it does turn out that transition is impossible then people will need a lot of social and emotional support to help them to deal with that. That support won't be there if species dysphoria is not understood.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2013-06-17 12:02 am (UTC)Personally I feel that it's difficult to decide what is ethical without knowing what is possible. And it's difficult to decide what is possible without research, and difficult to get research unless people know that there is a need for research.
I also think the ethics of doing it to a person who is willing and even desperate to have this experience, someone who might feel that the alternative is suicide, are complicated. It is possible that someone who is part or all of the way through this procedure might stop being able to give consent, for example. But that's also true of any medical procedure that requires a general anesthetic. You can't just stop in the middle. At this point, it is assumed that giving consent before the procedure is enough. I don't see why this should be different.
Some transgender people have transitioned and change their mind. Is it possible this could happen here? Yes, but that doesn't make transgender surgery unethical and it also doesn't make this unethical. It means there is a responsibility for the person to decide that this is what they really want. We should try to make sure that people won't regret it later by giving them as many details as possible about the truth of the procedure. But ultimately it is a person's own decision what to do with their bodies, and I am uncomfortable with any law or philosophy that suggests anything else.
There is also the possibility of partial transitions, for example. People who are therian or otherkin have grown up in a human life and a human body, and though they might experience dysphoria, a lot of them also don't want to leave their human life and friends. They imagine an "anthro" form like a furry that would be part human and part their species. If it was possible to make some small changes to the human form that still kept the human mind, a lot of people would accept this.
As well, species dysphoria being recognized does not just bring the possibility of physical transition. It also brings the possibility of counseling and support groups that support our needs. If it does turn out that transition is impossible then people will need a lot of social and emotional support to help them to deal with that. That support won't be there if species dysphoria is not understood.