Excellent observation: "Someone should have done James a favor and told him God is the only one who can make a woman by removing a rib."

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Some commenters were … dubious:

I’m so old, I remember a time when a surgeon, faced with an obviously mentally ill patient, would have declined to amputate a healthy limb or, in a case such as this, six ribs, and referred him to psychiatric care instead. Now, doctors cheerfully castrate, chop, and chemically poison their patients while applauding their own compassion and wokeness.

That’s progress.

(Those readers who might wish to explore this option for their own children may want to proceed cautiously.)

The surgery removes the 12th, 11th and, on rare occasions, the 10th rib to create a slimmer waist. The procedure is performed under general anaesthetic with an incision made in the back. Recovery time can be up to six months and patients are left with a long scar.

Although the 12th rib is known as a “floating” rib as it does not extend to the back, the 11th and 10th ribs protect internal organs from the front and back so the removal of these risks damage to the kidneys, gall bladder and even the stomach.

The procedure is now rarely performed by certified plastic surgeons other than in cases such as bone cancer and developmental growth problems where a section of rib is removed to obtain bone for a bone graft. Many have argued that the waist to hip ratio is determined by the  distribution of fat rather than the size of the rib  cage and that exercises such as walking and running are a much safer alternative to rib removal to reduce the waist size.

“The removal of ribs is a permanent procedure.  Ribs do not grow back and cannot be replaced. Even under the care of a certified and experienced surgeon, it is a dangerous procedure and the risks of complications are high. …. The healthy, non-surgical alternatives of exercise and diet to achieve a slimmer waist should be actively promoted to anyone considering such an extreme procedure.”