Legal Commentary

A New Life Starts With a New Face

By TChris

Ricardo Rachell deserves a break. A shotgun blast to the face left Rachell severely disfigured. Neighborhood kids called him "Scary Man." And then he served six years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. His is the injustice that Houston's new DA talked about in this post.

Who knows if Rachell's facial deformities played a role in his conviction. But such taunts, rejection and deep humiliation often cause those with disfiguring injuries, burns and deformities to live in isolation and depression. Suicide rates are high.

Rachell will be undergoing a series of cosmetic surgeries, thanks to the kindness of Dr. Joseph Agris, who will perform the surgeries at no cost to Rachell. Dr. Agris deserves the public's appreciation for his generosity.

For those of you who like to think about ethics, the linked editorial asks whether face transplants to correct profound disfigurements that are not life-threatening should be considered cosmetic procedures. It's difficult to take issue with the editorial's concluding paragraph.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 04, 2009 (boomark / email).