Medical controversies have a way of making fence-sitters of even the most opinionated among us. Assisted suicide, life support, late-term abortions: We listen to the practical and ethical pros and cons on such issues and end up incapable of holding a view for longer than 10 minutes.
But sometimes a prospect looms that inspires a clear-cut negative reaction. Reports last week that a U.S. team may be ready to carry out the world's first face transplant (if it can find a willing patient) provided an excellent example. Faces, surely, should stay where they are.
The doctors have heart-tugging arguments for why they should re-enact the central gimmick of the 1997 film "Face/Off." (Remember? John Travolta as the hero and Nicolas Cage as the villain underwent plastic surgery to swap faces and found their personalities compromised as well.)