Ethics of Managing an Adolescent Living with Disability

An ethical challenge arose when the parents of an adolescent girl living with severe intellectual disability requested for a permanent surgical intervention (hysterectomy) that would cause cessation of menstruation and reduce the possibility of pregnancy following nonconsensual sex. The family background was rural with poor access to extended family/community support, financial and social welfare resources. The parental distress was real with the adolescent incompetent to give informed consent. Is a non-therapeutic hysterectomy in an adolescent living with severe intellectual disability ethical? Views of a pediatrician, adolescent specialist, nurse, and an ethicist referring to literature suggesting an approach to an ethical decision are discussed herein.