"Between 2005 and 2013, over 850 people in California women's prisons were sterilized. Many were not told beforehand that the procedure would leave them unable to have children."
People in California women’s prisons were warned to avoid gynecologists to protect their uteruses, with rumors that doctors intended to remove wombs. Between 2005 and 2013, more than 850 people were sterilized, and many were not told beforehand that the procedures would prevent future children. Ezekiel Teaque received conflicting information about which ovaries remained, with no documentation confirming the outcome. Robbin Machuca consented to surgery after being told she had an ovarian cyst, later learning she had been sterilized. After advocacy and public outrage, California agreed in 2021 to pay $4.5 million to nearly 800 people for procedures that could have resulted in sterilization. Routine reproductive injustices continue due to barriers to accurate medical information and unclear explanations.
#prison-healthcare #forced-or-coerced-sterilization #reproductive-rights #medical-consent #california-prisons
Read at The Nation
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