Abstract
Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) has emerged over the last two decades as a promising therapeutic option for persons who have suffered the loss of limbs or who have suffered major facial disfigurement. While this book will demonstrate familiarity with the technical aspects of VCA, and with a range of ethical issues, its focus will be on the role and structure of consent for this new therapeutic option. In particular, it will argue that the nature and duration of the treatment involved in upper extremity and face transplants makes necessary some modification to the theory and practice of consent. The concept of covenant will be put forward as a resource for this modification. Covenant consent is needed for VCA because it more adequately describes what is being asked of recipients and what is necessary for treatment to succeed. It is also needed because it appropriately honors the recipients by understanding them as active partners rather than as passive patients, as people assuming major burdens and risks while contributing meaningfully to the development of the field.
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Notes
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Benedict, J.L. (2017). Introduction. In: A Revised Consent Model for the Transplantation of Face and Upper Limbs: Covenant Consent. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 73. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56400-5_1
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