Is California Unlawfully Sterilizing Female Inmates As Means Of Birth Control?

In California, 39 cases were found of female prisoners submitting to medical procedures they didn’t realize would result in sterilization.

State law prohibits inmates from elective sterilizations as methods of birth control. However, prison officials allow sterilizations in cases deemed medically necessary.

The audit was prompted by the Center for Investigative Reporting, which last year found that doctors sterilized nearly 150 female prisoners without obtaining proper consent. Auditors confirmed 144 cases between 2006 and 2013 in which inmates had their fallopian tubes tied or cut for the sole purpose of birth control.

The report identified 39 “unlawful” cases with apparent violations of state rules requiring inmates understand the nature and permanence of the procedures.

By: Cheston Catalano

Cheston Catalano is a Kentucky-based journalist whose work has been featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle. He is a long-time contributor to Liberaland.