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Trading Vulnerabilities: Living with Parkinson’s Disease before and after Deep Brain Stimulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2021

Sara Goering ,
Anna Wexler  and
Eran Klein
Sara Goering*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy and Center for Neurotechnology University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Anna Wexler
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Eran Klein
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy and Center for Neurotechnology University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Department of Neurology Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: sgoering@uw.edu
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Abstract

Implanted medical devices—for example, cardiac defibrillators, deep brain stimulators, and insulin pumps—offer users the possibility of regaining some control over an increasingly unruly body, the opportunity to become part “cyborg” in service of addressing pressing health needs. We recognize the value and effectiveness of such devices, but call attention to what may be less clear to potential users—that their vulnerabilities may not entirely disappear but instead shift. We explore the kinds of shifting vulnerabilities experienced by people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who receive therapeutic deep brain stimulators to help control their tremors and other symptoms of PD.

Keywords

Parkinson’s diseasedeep brain stimulationimplanted medical devicescyborgvulnerability
Type
Articles
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , October 2021 , pp. 623 - 630
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

Notes

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