You're scheduling a young girl for a school physical

Subject:NursingPrice: Bought3

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You're scheduling a young girl for a school physical. Her family migrated from Africa several years ago. You have known her since her arrival in school, and although she is very quiet, and has some difficulty with English, she works hard and is an excellent student. During the initial interview she invites you to a big party at her house this weekend. She tells you it is a special party just for her, a coming out party.

 

As you listen, you come to understand she is talking about clitoridectomy, a social convention in some cultures, thought to be part of raising a girl properly, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. As she describes the process it is clear she is looking forward to it; she refers to it as making her "clean" and "beautiful" by removing body parts that are "male" and "unclean."

 

As a health care provider, you know that there are no known benefits to the procedure and definite potential harms. In fact, it is generally known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

 

What should you do?

Forget it, who are you to judge another culture? "Different strokes for different folks."

Tell her this is not done in the United States.

Inform Social Services (potentially remove the child from the home).

Call the police as this is child abuse.

Encourage her to have the process done in the hospital, so that at least the procedure would be done under sanitary conditions.

Advise her parents against it, but as this is a cultural matter, do not refer it to others.

Now consider a second case somewhat like the first, except it is an elderly grandmother who has come to the hospital to request a scarification procedure be done on her grandson. She tells you that she has heard the hospital circumcises young boys based on religious preference, and hopes that this scarification procedure can be done on her grandson as it is an important family tradition that she would like done under medical supervision. What she is requesting is two tear-like cuts under the eyes, which will form into distinctive scars. She tells you they are the tribal identification mark for her family and that all members have them. Is this different from other forms of body art?

Consider this case in light of the choices given in question 1.