A medical instrument (10) includes a shaft (16) having a channel (36) extending therethrough and an actuating element (30) extending through the channel. The instrument further includes an end effector (14) disposed on the distal end of the shaft and operatively connected to the distal end of the actuating element, wherein the actuating element is adapted to move the end effector between a first configuration and a second configuration. The instrument further includes a control (18) moveable between a first position corresponding to the first configuration, and a second position corresponding to the second configuration, wherein the control is operatively disconnected from the actuating element when the control is in the first position.