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California Finally Makes the Forced Sterilization of Female Inmates Illegal
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Remember a few months ago when we told you about a Golden State bill that aimed to restrict tubal sterilization in prisons? Senate Bill 1135 brought to light the horrific fact that “between 2006 and 2010 prison doctors signed up over 150 female inmates to get their ‘tubes tied’ while they were pregnant in order to avoid future pregnancies.”
Well, last week Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law, at long last banning the procedure from being forced upon women in California prisons.
NBC News:
Legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown will prohibit California prisons from forcing women to be sterilized for birth control.
The Democratic governor announced Thursday that he signed SB1135 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Santa Barbara Democrat. It takes effect Jan. 1.
The legislation makes forced sterilization illegal except in cases where the patient’s life is in danger or it is needed to treat a medical condition. It also requires a second physician to consult with a patient about the effects of the procedure. Counseling about the permanency of the procedure must be provided as well.
“Pressuring a vulnerable population into making permanent reproductive choices without informed consent is unacceptable, and violates our most basic human rights,” the bill’s author, state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, said in a statement.
—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata
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