Contested Bodies with Leandro Loriga PhD

Leandro Loriga PhD

Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash between individual autonomy and institutional authority. Working from anthropological, moral, and ethical perspectives, the series enters the grey zones where medicine, law, and society decide what counts as legitimate suffering, treatment, and what can or cannot be done to the human body. Hosted by Leandro Loriga, PhD, a medical anthropologist and bioethicist, and founder of Corpus Sui, an international non-profit network working across borders on questions of body, autonomy, and power.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 7 — Risk, Regret, and the Limits of Certainty

    How certain must medicine be before it refuses a patient’s request? In this episode of Contested Bodies, I examine the role of risk, regret, uncertainty, and decision-making capacity in medical refusals of Body Integrity Dysphoria. The episode asks why uncertainty often closes the door for BID patients, and why this matters for medicine, autonomy, suffering, and the authority institutions exercise over the body.  The episode explores how clinicians assess capacity, what happens when disagreement is interpreted as incapacity, and why visibility matters when some forms of suffering can be recognised while others remain difficult to see. It also examines concerns about post-operative regret, future behaviour, and the argument that future treatments may one day make irreversible interventionunnecessary. Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash betweenindividual autonomy and institutional authority, and the moral and ethical grey ones of body, medicine, autonomy, and power.   Chapters:00:09 Two Irreversible Operations03:28 When Uncertainty Closes the Door05:21 Assessing Decision-Making Capacity09:58 When Disagreement Becomes Incapacity13:41 The Importance of Visibility17:05 Predicting Post-operative Behaviour21:19 The Future Treatment Argument23:25 The Bariatric Surgery Comparison28:01 The Standard of Proof30:54 Credits   Support the podcast:Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book:This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here: Body Integrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: RedefiningWholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body   Explore more:Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.com Body Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui: https://corpussui.com   Credits:Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music:Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/ https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/ https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer:This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold,licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to ContestedBodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  2. Jul 19

    Episode 6 — Who Gets to Decide?

    Why do some elective alterations of healthy bodies enter the clinical pathway, while others are stopped before they can even be considered? In this episode of Contested Bodies, I examine how surgeons and other professionals respond to requests for major elective body alteration. The episode identifies a recurring decision logic organised around four postulates: whether the patient’s motivation is sufficient to justify risk, whether that motivation is considered valid, whether the expected outcome is realistically achievable, and whether the request can be understood as a legitimate use of medical intervention. The episode then applies this framework to Body Integrity Dysphoria and asks whether autonomy is being judged by the patient’s decision-making capacity, or by the perceived acceptability of the intention behind the request. Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash betweenindividual autonomy and institutional authority, and the moral and ethical grey zones of body, medicine, autonomy, and power.   Chapters:00:09 Two Patients, Two Pathways03:06 From Ethical Theory to Clinical Practice05:06 Normativity and Body Harmony07:01 Motivation and Expectation08:44 Postulate One: Risk Outweighs Motivation10:29 Postulate Two: Invalid Motivation12:37 Postulate Three: Unrealistic Outcome15:56 Postulate Four: Achievable Outcome20:02 Applying the Four Postulates to BID22:51 Body Harmony as a Quiet Veto26:55 Autonomy as a Property of Intention31:08 The Subjective Standard33:41 Conclusion36:34 Credits   Support the podcast:Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book:This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here: Body Integrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: RedefiningWholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body   Explore more:Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.com Body Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui: https://corpussui.com   Credits:Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music:Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/ https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/ https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer:This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold,licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission fromLeandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to Contested Bodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  3. Jul 12

    Episode 5 — Cutting and Consenting

    What happens when consent, harm, and the relief of suffering no longer point in the same ethical direction? In this episode of Contested Bodies, I examine Body Integrity Dysphoria through the four principles of biomedical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. The episode asks how medicine should respond when relieving suffering may also involve causing physical harm, and why this matters for consent, refusal, treatment, and the authority institutions exercise over the body. The episode explores the rise of autonomy in modern medical ethics, the limits of beneficence, the problem of competing harms, the difference between refusing treatment and demanding intervention, and the objection that BID-related desires may be delusional or irrational. Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash between individual autonomy and institutional authority, and the moral and ethical grey zones of body, medicine, autonomy, and power.   Chapters:00:09 TwoForms of Harm02:34 The Four Principles04:22 Principlism and the Rise of Autonomy07:35 Beneficence and the Case for the Relief of Suffering09:12 The Limits of Beneficence12:56 Nonmaleficence and Competing Harms16:37 The Right to Refuse, Not the Right to Demand18:38 The Delusion Objection21:20 Frankfurt and the Structure of Desire24:30 Applying Frankfurt’s Ideas to BID26:31 Consent Under Uncertainty28:31 Justice and Consistency30:08 What Principlism Can Offer32:28 Conclusion34:27 Credits Support the podcast:Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book:This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here: Body Integrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: RedefiningWholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body   Explore more:Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.com Body Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui: https://corpussui.com Credits:Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music:Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/ https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/ https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer:This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved.  Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold,licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to Contested Bodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission.  For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  4. Jul 5

    Episode 4 — BID and Gender Dysphoria

    Why are some forms of body-related suffering recognised as identity, while others remain medically and morally suspect?  In this episode of Contested Bodies, I examine the comparison between Body Integrity Dysphoria and Gender Dysphoria. The aim is to asks why two forms of profound body-related distress have received such different clinical, ethical, and cultural responses.  The episode explores how Gender Dysphoria became intelligible through a long history of theoretical, medical, political, and social elaboration, while BID has remained largely isolated, marginal, and morally suspect. At the centre of the episode is a justice question: if BID is recognised as a real condition, what is the ethically relevant difference that justifies treating it so differently from Gender Dysphoria? Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash betweenindividual autonomy and institutional authority, and the moral and ethical grey zones of body, medicine, autonomy, and power.   Chapters:00:09 Introduction 02:13 A Test of Consistency 04:08 What Identity Means 08:04 Shared Structure, Unequal Histories 10:28 From Sex-Typing to Gender Variance 15:19 The Importance of Telling the Right Story 18:57 A Matter of Authenticity 22:45 Justice and the Relevant Difference 27:36 Conclusion 29:25 Credits   Support the podcast:Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book:This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here: BodyIntegrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: Redefining Wholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body   Explore more:Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.com Body Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui: https://corpussui.com   Credits:Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music:Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/ https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/ https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer:This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold,licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to ContestedBodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  5. Jun 28

    Episode 3 — Mapping the Body

    Body Integrity Dysphoria raises a difficult question: what happens when the body a person has does not match the body they experience as their own? In this episode of Contested Bodies, I examine BID through questions of body mapping, mental imagery, body image, body schema, bodily flexibility, and the social meaning of impairment. The episode asks whether BID can be understood only as a neurological condition, or whether it also reveals how the body is imagined, socially shaped, and morally judged. Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash between individual autonomy and institutional authority, and the moral and ethical grey zones of body, medicine, autonomy, and power.   Chapters: 00:09 Introduction 02:15 What Causes BID? 03:56 The Exact Amputation Line 06:05 A Matter of Imagination? 07:38 The Power of Mental Imagery 11:04 Body Image and Body Schema 13:58 The Flexible Body 18:57 The Social Body 23:17 Postmodernity 26:56 The Impaired Body as Ideal 28:59 Conclusion 31:09 Credits   Support the podcast: Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book: This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here: Body Integrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: Redefining Wholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body   Explore more: Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.com Body Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui: https://corpussui.com   Credits: Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music: Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold, licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to Contested Bodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  6. Jun 28

    Episode 2 — History 2: What Is BID? A History of a Contested Condition

    Body Integrity Dysphoria becomes harder to reduce to a single explanation once the body itself is understood as mapped, interpreted, impaired, named, and judged. In this episode of Contested Bodies, I examine the second half of the history of Body Integrity Dysphoria through xenomelia, body mapping, neurological hypotheses, dysphoria, impairment, disability, and the problem of naming. The episode asks why BID remains so difficult to classify, and why this matters for clinical recognition, justice, autonomy, suffering, and the authority institutions exercise over the body. Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash between individual autonomy and institutional authority, and the moral and ethical grey zones of body, medicine, autonomy, and power.   Chapters: 00:09 Introduction 02:10 Xenomelia and Body Mapping 04:59 Neurological Hypotheses and Co-Determinants 07:47 Dysphoria, Impairment, and Disability 10:27 The Justice Asymmetry 12:46 A Naming Problem 15:28 The Core Tension 19:26 Closing Remarks 20:58 Credits   Support the podcast: Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book: This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here: Body Integrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: Redefining Wholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body   Explore more: Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.com Body Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui: https://corpussui.com   Credits: Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music: Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold, licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD.  Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to ContestedBodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  7. Jun 28

    Episode 1 — History 1: What Is BID? A History of a Contested Condition

    Body Integrity Dysphoria did not appear suddenly as a settled medical category; it emerged through decades of contested language, sexual interpretation, media attention, clinical uncertainty, and institutional hesitation. In this episode of Contested Bodies, I examine the first half of the history of Body Integrity Dysphoria, beginning with early public and clinical encounters with the desire for amputation, including Penthouse Letters, “Monopede Mania”, apotemnophilia, Richard Bruno’s DPW framework, the Falkirk Hospital amputations, BBC Horizon, and the gradual movement towards the language of Body Identity Integrity Disorder. The episode asks how a form of suffering becomes visible before medicine knows how to name it, and why this matters for medicine, autonomy, suffering, and the authority institutions exercise over the body. Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash between individual autonomy and institutional authority, and the moral and ethical grey zones of body, medicine, autonomy, and power.   Chapters:00:09 Introduction 03:58 BID: The WHO Definition 07:43 Before the WHO Definition 11:16 John Money & Alfred Kinsey 13:50 David Reimer and the John/Joan case 18:30 Penthouse Letters: Monopede Mania 21:17 Apotemnophilia and its Legacy 24:01 Richard Bruno and the DPW Framework 27:04 Robert Smith and the Falkirk Hospital Amputations 29:34 BBC Horizon: Complete Obsession 32:53 Michael First and 2005 study 34:49 The Birth of Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID)38:16 Credits   Support the podcast:Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book: This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here:  Body Integrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: Redefining Wholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body Explore more: Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.com Body Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui: https://corpussui.com Credits: Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project. Music: Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold, licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to Contested Bodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  8. Season 1 Trailer

    Contested Bodies: Season 1 Trailer

    Season one of Contested Bodies enters the world of Body Integrity Dysphoria, or B.I.D., a condition recognised in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11 as code 6C21. This season draws on my original research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. It asks what happens when a person’s experience of their own body conflicts with medicine’s idea of health, society’s idea of normality, and the law’s authority over what can and cannot be done. Through B.I.D., the season examines questions of autonomy, consent, harm, disability, identity, medical refusal, moral responsibility, and the grey zones where no answer is simple.  Across ten episodes, followed by a final observation, the season asks why B.I.D. is not only a rare condition affecting a small number of people, but a problem that concerns everyone: because it forces us to confront dignity, suffering, autonomy, institutional power, and who has the final authority over the body. Support the podcast: Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga   Book:This season draws on my research and writing on bodily autonomy, medical authority, and contested forms of suffering. Read more here: Body Integrity Dysphoria and the Ethical Dilemma of On-Demand Amputation: Redefining Wholeness: Identity, Autonomy, and the Moral Boundaries of the Human Body   Explore more: Leandro Loriga, PhD:https://leandroloriga.comBody Integrity Dysphoria project:https://bodyintegritydysphoria.com Corpus Sui:https://corpussui.com  Credits: Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music: Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License.   https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/   Disclaimer:This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold, licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to Contested Bodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

  9. Trailer

    Contested Bodies: Podcast Trailer

    Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash between individual autonomy and institutional authority. Working from anthropological, moral, and ethical perspectives, the series enters the grey zones where medicine, law, and society decide what counts as legitimate suffering, what counts as treatment, and what can or cannot be done to the human body. Its aim is not to offer easy answers, but to suspend judgment long enough to examine difficult cases where familiar moral categories begin to fail, where boundaries are unclear, and where no institution can claim a simple monopoly on what is right. The podcast explores bodily autonomy, medical authority, consent, disability, identity, suffering, moral responsibility, and the ways power is produced, shifted, and exercised through institutions, medical decisions, and social norms. The show is hosted by Leandro Loriga, PhD, a medical anthropologist and bioethicist, and founder of Corpus Sui, an international non-profit network of experts and volunteers working across borders on ethically sensitive and often unspoken questions of body, autonomy, and power. Support the podcast: Contested Bodies is independently written and produced. If you want to support the project, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/drleandroloriga Explore more: Leandro Loriga, PhD: https://leandroloriga.comBody Integrity Dysphoria project: https://bodyintegritydysphoria.comCorpus Sui: https://corpussui.com  Credits: Written and produced by Leandro Loriga, PhD.Part of the Contested Bodies project.   Music: Music from Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-familyx27s-dark-secret-true-crime-soundtrack-loopable-248652/https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-ethereal-nightmares-halloween-horror-30-sec-403943/https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-horror-trailer-30s-217439/ https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-marimba-trap-beat-451663/ https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-intro-trailer-257344/ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and critical discussion purposes. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   Rights: © 2026 Leandro Loriga, PhD. All rights reserved. Except as expressly permitted below, no part of this episode, transcript, description, or related material may be reproduced, republished, redistributed, adapted, sold, licensed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Leandro Loriga, PhD. Short excerpts may be quoted or shared for non-commercial educational, critical, journalistic, or research purposes, provided that clear attribution is given to ContestedBodies and Leandro Loriga, PhD, and that the source is linked to: https://leandroloriga.com Any commercial use, republication, redistribution, adaptation, translation, training use, or use of substantial portions of this material requires prior written permission. For permissions or enquiries: info@leandroloriga.com   Hashtags: #ContestedBodies#LeandroLoriga #bioethics #medicalethics #bodilyautonomy #patientautonomy#medicalanthropology #philosophyofmedicine #bodyintegritydysphoria #BID#disabilityethics #podcast

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Contested Bodies is a podcast about the clash between individual autonomy and institutional authority. Working from anthropological, moral, and ethical perspectives, the series enters the grey zones where medicine, law, and society decide what counts as legitimate suffering, treatment, and what can or cannot be done to the human body. Hosted by Leandro Loriga, PhD, a medical anthropologist and bioethicist, and founder of Corpus Sui, an international non-profit network working across borders on questions of body, autonomy, and power.

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