Female inmates sterilized without approval

The Center for Investigative Reporting has found that almost 150 women were sterilized by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation between 2006 and 2010 without state approval. Former inmates and prison staff both say that patients were coerced into being sterilized, and those who were targeted were often pregnant, and were those deemed likely to return to prison.

The tubal ligation procedure for prisoners has required approval from top medical officers on a case-by-case basis since 1994. No requests have come before the health committee, yet at least 60 were performed at Valley State Prison for Women, and many were performed at California Institution for Women.

It is disgusting to treat human beings in this way. These women’s bodies are their own, and have the right to decide whether or not they should be able to bear children. A licensed professional should not be able to manipulate and coerce people in this way. It is against the code of ethics and against human decency.