- LUMBERTON, Miss. (Reuters)
- A disabled Mississippi man said on Wednesday he was planning to amputate
his feet with a homemade guillotine and broadcast the procedure live on
the Internet to raise money for new prosthetic legs.
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- Paul Morgan, a 33-year-old student who was paralyzed
below the knees after falling out of a truck in 1986, seized upon the idea
after his insurance company refused to pay to have his lower legs amputated
and fitted with titanium prosthetic devices.
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- Morgan, an avid sportsman before his accident, said the
surgery and prosthetics would allow him to walk normally and resume his
love of running and water sports.
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- Morgan needs about $150,000 to cover the cost of the
prosthetics, follow-up surgery and rehabilitation. Only 20 people so far
have agreed to pay $19.99 to watch the Oct. 31 broadcast on Morgan's web
site, http://www.cutoffmyfeet.com.
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- ``People are still a little bit skeptical, but that should
change once I have the guillotine built,'' said Morgan, who is building
a 12- to 15-foot stainless steel device modeled on those used to chop off
heads during the French Revolution.
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- Morgan, a resident of Lumberton, Mississippi, about 60
miles northwest of Biloxi, said the amputation would occur near his ankles
and that further surgery would be required to remove the rest of his lower
legs.
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- Conceding that most of his family was opposed to the
idea, Morgan said he would use tourniquets to stem bleeding from the amputation
and noted that medical personnel would be on scene in the event of an emergency.
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- A spokeswoman for Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore
said state officials had been in touch with Morgan's lawyer about the matter.
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- ``We have heard about this and we have contacted his
attorney because we are concerned,'' said Nancy East, Moore's spokeswoman.
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- East said the state had offered to have Morgan evaluated
by a surgeon in Jackson, the state capital, if Morgan agreed not to go
ahead with the amputation.
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- East said the Internet amputation could violate a number
of state laws, including a mayhem statute and laws protecting consumers
from fraud.
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