Pain. Suffering. Loss. These are some characteristics attributed to war amputees returning home. While some veterans can cope with the loss of a limb or multiple limbs, the overall effects for the majority of returning soldiers is devastating. By exploring different cases from the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, many ethical issues can be addressed. The main issue is the psychological impact of amputation, as it pertains not only to the affected soldier, but his or her family as well. Improved medical advancements may have increased survival rates and the amount of technology, but these improvements raise new questions. Are the responses appropriate, or is there a certain point where a person is better off being left for dead, rather than saved? Are prosthetics more detrimental in the long run? From an ethical standpoint, I believe that survival is key but only if it is beneficial to the person being saved.
Amputations can happen at any age to anyone. Even if is it occurs suddenly, such as during a war, it still provides anxiety and has a substantial impact on the individual’s life. Before an amputation, the preoperative phase consists of feelings of trepidation and possible anger, while the postoperative phase can have much more lingering effects (Blacher 73). One side effect is the feeling of a phantom limb. Approximately fifty to eighty percent of amputees experience this feeling of body parts that no longer exist. Symptoms include itching, movement, and aching of nonexistent limbs (Amputation 1). After the surgery, the rehabilitation process is extremely difficult, as patients must learn how to function with a prosthesis limb. There is lots of time to now think and become emotionally distressed as working initially is not an option, including aiding in the war (Blacher 73).
Another side effect of amputations is heterotopic ossification, which is when the brain tells the bone to grow instead of the scar tissue. These additional growths interfere with...