The dawn of the twenty-first century has seen the world pondering over moral dilemmas that affect the day-to-day lives of individuals. For instance, the issue of girls undergoing the cut has been a huge bone of contention in the health sector. The utilitarian perspective urges individuals to make ethical decisions under the assumption that morality of an action depends on the outcome, but the deontological argument insists that morality depends on consistency with moral norms (Mill, 2016) .For that reason, the utilitarian framework compels a mother to take the step which she perceives most beneficial whereas the deontological outlook urges her to consider the effects of the cut on her daughter. Given the two options, it is best to utilize the deontological approach since it safeguards the rights of the girl and opposes her from going through the cut. The deontological approach encourages Nurse Suzie to report the mother to child protection agency to protect the girl.
As aforementioned, the utilitarian standpoint is based on the ideology that the end justifies the means. As such, people who employ this method to solve moral dilemmas tend to ignore the ethical implications of their decisions. Based on this case, the mother might opt to undergo the cut since it reflects her cultural beliefs and will reinforce her personal values. Since utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, it coerces one to embrace a mindset where the end-results are sufficient justification for using people’s lives to benefit others (Mill, 2016). Therefore, it can be discerned that the biggest advantage of the utilitarian approach is its end-goal of maximizing happiness. On top of that, the parent will instill her cultural beliefs within her child, and this will empower her growth in this world where cultural beliefs have been diluted. Based on this approach of maximizing happiness, Nurse Suzie should not report the mother since she might end up losing her daughter leading to severe consequences for both parties. The challenge facing the utilitarian perspective is that it does not consider the consequences to the girl undergoing through the cut thus it is ethically intolerable ( Österberg, 2019) . In summary, the utilitarian approach assumes that not reporting the mother to the child protection agency will be the most beneficial approach thus should be ignored as it disregards the plight of the child.
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There are several theories in philosophy that elucidate intricate concepts like ethics and morality. For instance, Kant is a renowned researcher who contributed to the field of philosophy by positing the deontological theories. Based on Kant’s hypothesis, a person’s actions can only be acknowledged to be good if the undertaking is performed with good intentions (Chandler, 2019). Thus, Kant encouraged people to treat ethics as an end in itself so that people do what is right because it is morally just. Hence, human beings are not to be exploited solely to achieve one’s objective. Consequently, Kant introduced his principle of humanity, which is a categorical imperative that opposes using human beings being used solely as the means to an end ( Mandal et al, 2016) . According to him, human beings can only be used if they understand and agree to the implications of the undertaking; otherwise, using a person without their permission and only as a means to an end are similar to dehumanizing them ( Silva et al, 2018) . In summary, Kant contested the utilitarian viewpoint, which objectifies human beings and encourages people to violate essential human rights.
The deontological outlook treats human beings as ends in themselves hence it considers immorality as using them merely as the means to an end. Some cultures still embrace the cut since it epitomizes their belief system and cultural values that have been passed down for many generations; it creates a sense of identity and belonging. The deontological approach discourages this view. In some way, Kant implores humanity to see the fault in making girls go through the cut so that parents can respect their cultural beliefs and values (Pops, 2019). This girl has an inherent dignity which needs to be respected. In addition, by reporting the mother, Nurse will safeguard the life of the girl. The deontological approach affirms that Nurse Suzie should report the mother as it will save the child from a lot of physical and mental anguish. Studies show that girls who go through the act are vulnerable to future posttraumatic complications ( Stein et al, 2017). In contrast, the only disadvantage to utilizing the deontological perspective is that it disregards the cultural beliefs of the mother. Irrespective of the pros and cons, the deontological concept is more appropriate because it emphasizes that human beings need to recognize each other’s true worth. Nurse Suzie can apply the principle of beneficence to reinforce the use of deontological approach. The principle states that healthcare workers have a primary obligation to help others and requires the obligation to advance the legitimate the interests of a patient (McDermott-Levy et al, 2018). In this case, it is in the best interest of the girl that Nurse Suzie reports her mother to the child protection agency. This would prevent the girl from going through the adverse effects of the female cut.
The application of virtue ethics will also be valuable to this situation. The paradigm places focus on the moral character of a person and asserts that a good person is one who lives a virtuous existence (Silva et al, 2018). This implies that a good society is built by good people. On that note, Nurse Suzie should strive to show good virtues by reporting the mother to the child protection agency so that the girl is not harmed.
With regards to the situation, Nurse Suzie should employ the deontological system to make decisions about reporting the mother. Although this strategy will eventually result in the mother being investigated by the child protection agency, it is aligned with the most ethical outcome for the greater community. In practice, most international organizations like the United Nations assert that putting girls through the cut is a gross violation of human rights that is similar to brutality ( Stein et al, 2017). The UN’s decision was supported by evidence which revealed that girls who go through the cut are permanently damaged and never fully recover from the incident. Her growth and developmental process will be negatively affected thus blurring her future. The deontological approach prevents the use of the cut since it has the potential to bring unhappiness to not only the children themselves, but also to their families. All evidence points towards the conclusion that the cut an end is unethical and hence the mother should be stopped.
It is the responsibility of Nurse Suzie to support the morally sound choice of stopping the mother since it is beneficial for the future of the girl. The cut has no benefit for the physical and emotional wellbeing of the girl. Moreover, the act is illegal in Canada. By educating the mother on the misconceptions and realities of placing her child through the cut, it is possible to augment deontological sentiments in parents. During such ethical dilemmas, it is Suzie’s responsibility to come up with a solution that offers the greatest rewards for deciphering similar future cases. The issue of circumcising girls has been a serious ethical predicament in several countries all over the world. In similar fashion to Canada, many countries across the world have banned the act ( Stein et al, 2017). If Nurse Suzie fails to report the mother, she will be placing the child under risk and will be failing in her duties and role as a nurse. In this scenario, the unethicality of circumcising the girl as the means to an end is the key issue. Nurse Suzie should embrace the deontological approach because it recognizes the negative consequences of the cut on the child.
References
Chandler, R. C. (2019). Deontological Dimensions of Administrative Ethics Revisited. In Handbook of Administrative Ethics (pp. 205-220). Routledge.
Mandal, J., Ponnambath, D. K., & Parija, S. C. (2016). Utilitarian and deontological ethics in medicine. Tropical parasitology , 6 (1), 5.
McDermott-Levy, R., Leffers, J., & Mayaka, J. (2018). Ethical principles and guidelines of global health nursing practice. Nursing outlook , 66 (5), 473-481.
Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven masterpieces of philosophy (pp. 337-383). Routledge.
Österberg, J. (2019). Deontological Ethics: Exposition. In Towards Reunion in Ethics (pp. 27-59). Springer, Cham.
Pops, G. M. (2019). A teleological approach to administrative ethics. In Handbook of administrative ethics (pp. 221-232). Routledge.
Silva, T. N. D., Freire, M. E. M., Vasconcelos, M. F. D., Silva Junior, S. V. D., Silva, W. J. D. C., Araújo, P. D. S., & Eloy, A. V. A. (2018). Deontological aspects of the nursing profession: understanding the code of ethics. Revista brasileira de enfermagem , 71 (1), 3-10.
Stein, K., Hindin, M. J., Chou, D., & Say, L. (2017). Prioritizing and synthesizing evidence to improve the health care of girls and women living with female genital mutilation: An overview of the process. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics , 136 , 3-12.
