DISABILITY AND STERILIZATION – CONCLUSION
A sad woman in her mid-30s was referred to hospital asking for her sterilization to be reversed. She came with her husband. They were living a completely independent life in their own home. The woman had attended a school for children with learning difficulties. She was an only child and her mother had been deeply distressed when she became pregnant at the age of 18. At her mother’s insistence the baby was placed for adoption, and to prevent any further illegitimate pregnancies a sterilization was undertaken. The woman had been acquiescent over her situtation until she had married, and then both she and her husband wanted a child. She had felt no anger at the time of the sterilization, clearly being completely unaware of the likely consequences.
This situation is unlikely to occur today, but the consequences of past eugenic policies can still be seen. Today it is recognized that the children of handicapped parents tend to revert towards the average intelligence of the population. This new knowledge has helped to change the attitude towards childbearing by women with a mental handicap.
In 1987 arguments were heard in British legal courts concerning the possibility of authorizing the sterilization for a severely mentally handicapped girl aged 17. The case was heard in the lower courts and eventually reached the House of Lords. The arguments on both sides were complex, but the underlying principle agreed by both sides was that if the operation took place it would be for the ultimate benefit and protection of the girl rather than the community (Lee and Morgan, 1989).
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