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Inside the Ethics Committee

Factual: Health & Wellbeing

Religion & Ethics

Joan Bakewell and a panel of experts wrestle with the ethics of a real-life medical case.

Joan Bakewell is joined by a panel of experts to wrestle with the ethics arising from a real-life medical case.

Inside the Ethics Committee: Series 11

Inside the Ethics Committee: Series 11: Episode 1: Amputation

Amputation

Episode 1

Episode 1: Amputation

Series 11

BBC Radio 4 - Inside the Ethics Committee, Series 11, Amputation

Should a surgeon agree to a young woman's request to amputate her leg?

Should a surgeon agree to a woman's request to amputate her leg? She is refusing offers of yet more surgery to fix her painful and injured knee. What should this surgeon do?

A dilemma arises for a surgeon when a young woman called Sarah is referred to his clinic.

Six years earlier, Sarah injured her knee in a skiing accident and the intervening years have been dominated by operations to repair her knee, each followed by months of gruelling rehabilitation.

But despite all this, Sarah's knee remains unstable and painful and it's taking its toll on her mental health.

Various surgeons have refused to amputate her leg and recommend that she either accept her existing level of disability or agree to further operations.

But Sarah is adamant - she wants her leg amputated. She doesn't want to live as she is and has lost faith in the medical profession's ability to give her a knee that will enable her to be active. 

The surgeon is caught in a dilemma - he appreciates how she feels but should he amputate her leg?

Joan Bakewell and her panel discuss the issues.

Producer: Beth Eastwood.

Photo credit: EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Joan Bakewell and a panel of experts tackle the ethics involved in a real hospital case.

Joan Bakewell is joined by a panel of experts to tackle the ethics involved in a real hospital case.

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Inside the Ethics Committee

Series 11

Episode 1: Amputation

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