They have performed this surgery on monkeys already (although without attempting to fuse the spinal cord). The doctor and his colleagues will have performed mo

They have performed this surgery on monkeys already (although without attempting to fuse the spinal cord). The doctor and his colleagues will have performed more attempts on primates before a human attempt, which is why he has an estimated year of operation at 2017. While I do agree that the doctor may be being selfish in search of fame (or infamy), but shouldn't the human be given the choice to make his decisions? He can't perform basic human functions without assistance much less enjoy other pleasures in life due to his disease. The candidate's decision-making process isn't impaired and many other people with late-stage cancer often undergo controversial treatments that are not fully tested all the time, even outside of clinical trials [0]. [0] http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/clinicaltrials/compassionate-drug-use http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/cli...