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The New York Times reports that Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland has decided to perform up to 60 penis transplants on "men injured in combat."
The operation is experimental, and only two previous attempts have been reported: an unsuccessful one in China, and a successful one in South Africa. Because the procedure is so rare, the medical team will be seeking explicit consent from the families of organ donors, who may not have contemplated the use of their penises in this manner. One physician noted that, should the transplantation program meet with success, there will be interest in the surgery by transgender people.
A Department of Defense database shows that "from 2001 to 2013, 1,367 men in military service suffered wounds to the genitals in Iraq or Afghanistan."
additional coverage:
(Score: 2) by Mr Big in the Pants on Thursday December 17 2015, @08:52PM
I think you need to reevaluate people's biological motivators. They are incredibly strong to the point of insanity at times.
Not having a penis means you are "not a man" - you would have to pee sitting down. It means you cannot procreate -at least not naturally and assuming you still have functioning testes.
While I agree that a rational robot might decide that it is better to go through life with this "small" inconvenience, an irrational human may not come to the same conclusion.
I would like to see the end long term result. Many external transplants end up looking like horror shows. While they may want the idea of a new penis, the reality could be less than ideal...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @12:12AM
It isn't just about "being a man." Sex is how people connect emotionally. Without a dick, that intimate connection becomes orders of magnitude more difficult. Lack of sex can destroy a relationship.
(Score: 2) by morgauxo on Friday December 18 2015, @03:06PM
Well.. fortunately for these patients a penis isn't exactly a pretty thing anyway. Attraction by appearance is mostly on the female side of our species. Even most straight women will agree with that.