New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, NBV 9E2, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
New York University Medical Center, 227 East 30th Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
J Bioeth Inq. 2018 Dec;15(4):549-555. doi: 10.1007/s11673-018-9875-4. Epub 2018 Aug 16.
According to the World Health Organization, female genital cutting affects millions of girls and women worldwide, particularly on the African continent and in the Middle East. This paper presents a plausible, albeit hypothetical, clinical vignette and then explores the legal landscape as well as the ethical landscape physicians should use to evaluate the adult patient who requests re-infibulation. The principles of non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and autonomy are considered for guidance, and physician conscientious objection to this procedure is discussed as well. Analyses of law and predominant principles of bioethics fail to yield a clear answer regarding performing female genital cutting or re-infibulation on an adult in the United States. Physicians should consider the patient's physical, mental, and social health when thinking about female genital cutting and should understand the deep-rooted cultural significance of the practice.
根据世界卫生组织的数据，女性生殖器切割影响了全球数百万女孩和妇女，尤其是在非洲大陆和中东地区。本文提出了一个合理的、假设的临床案例，然后探讨了医生在评估要求重新行割礼的成年患者时应使用的法律和伦理环境。非伤害、有益、公正和自主原则被认为是指导原则，也讨论了医生对该程序的良心反对。对法律和主要的生物伦理原则的分析在美国未能就对成年人进行女性生殖器切割或重新行割礼得出明确答案。医生在考虑女性生殖器切割时应考虑患者的身体、心理和社会健康，并了解该做法的根深蒂固的文化意义。
