Reproductive implications of human head transplantation.

I read with enthusiasm the manuscript by neurosurgeons Ren and Canavero on his progress toward the first human head transplantation procedure.[1] Certainly, history has demonstrated that many “quantum leaps” in medicine challenged the accepted norms at the time. However, I would suggest that no prior “quantum leap” in medicine (e.g., “antiseptic handwashing, balloon angioplasty”) compares to the ethical concerns that are coupled with human head transplantation.[1] Head transplantation may 1 day serve as a last resort treatment option when traditional medicine fails; however, I contend that this procedure also opens the door for numerous quandaries pertaining to reproductive ethics. It would be beneficial for the neurosurgical community to discuss human head transplantation in the context of reproductive ethics such that certain inquiries about the procedure may be realized, discussed, and deciphered prior to making the first incision.