Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation banning forced and coerced sterilizations of women in California jails and prisons.
The bill bans tubal ligations except to save a patient’s life or to treat a medical condition when no less drastic procedure is possible. The new law takes effect Jan. 1.
“It’s clear that we need to do more to make sure that forced or coerced sterilizations never again occur in our jails and prisons,” said the author of SB1135, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara. “Pressuring a vulnerable population into making permanent reproductive choices without informed consent violates our most basic human rights.”
Prison rules allowed women prisoners to have their tubes tied as part of regular obstetrical care, the Reuters news agency reported.
An audit released in June showed that there were errors in obtaining informed consent from 39 women inmates out of 144 who had their tubes tied while incarcerated between 2005 and 2011, Reuters reported. In 27 of the 39 cases, the audit showed a physician did not sign the required consent form.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is under court orders to improve medical and mental health care delivery in its overcrowded prisons.