sterelising the disabled

[amalan11]

I was reading an article today (on the Daily telegraph site,Sydney)  about banning people from taking disabled children overseas to be sterilised.

It got me wondering why it cannot be done in Australia as in some cases I can understand why parents would want this done.

It is not a nice topic, but i think if a child is so disabled mentally or physically that they cannot care for themselves it is just adding a terrible burden to the family and child themselves if a pregnancy occurs.

I noticed the other point listed as a pro was to stop the child being sexually abused but I cannot see what difference being sterilised would make to that..as disgusting as it is it seems there are always deviates preying on these people .

I think it would surly be better to have a board of experts be able to allow sterilisation in some cases

In the article it talks about how sad it is that some women who have been sterilised want to have children later and collect prams and baby photos ect because they are so unhappy but if they have such issues I wonder how they would deal with a baby they had to give away  or abortion in the past if they had been unable to keep it.

sometimes I question if the rights of the individual outweigh commonsence

[cherry*135]

It got me wondering why it cannot be done in Australia as in some cases I can understand why parents would want this done.

Do the parents need to get a court order if they want their disabled child sterilised in Australia?

[cherry*135]

Inquiry recommends laws banning parents travelling overseas to sterilise children with disabilities

In Australia, the Family Court must give permission for non-therapeutic sterilisation procedures on children.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/inquiry-recommends-laws-banning-parents-travell...

[amalan11]

Reading the article im guessing it cannot be done legaly in Australia and thats why people are going overseas .Interestingly New Zealand allows it and I tend to think they are an ethical country . 

[cherry*135]

The parents can apply to the Family Court in Australia to get their intellectually disabled child sterilised. One of the parents in the news story said that can cost around $10 000 though, and may not be approved.

[amalan11]

OK..thanks for that link .Thats good if it is allowed with court permission .I thought it must be blanket illegal by the article.I feel a bit differently about the issue if the court rules against it perhaps it is not necessary  but I guess you would have to be in the situation to judge ...it would be an awful decision to have to make.

That artice is much better than the one I saw which made no mention of any other options

[not_an_eloi]

this story turned up on the abc website short time ago

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-17/senate-inquiry-calls-for-court-approval-for-forced-sterilisati...

[***super_nova***]

I think this is just too ridiculous.  Young intellectually disabled people who cannot take care of themselves should have the possibility of sterilisation or hysterectomy easily available if their guardians wished it. 

When I was little there was a severe Down Syndrome girl who would stand in the lane behind the pub with her knickers down and her skirt up, and every drunk had sex with her.  After number of abortions, she was sterilised.  Maybe not ideal, but definitely preferable.

[*elizabeths-mum*]

I find that clip aggravating because the woman is obviously very much at the top end of intellectual disability and has a very supportive network. I wonder how it would affect opinions if the clip was about a woman with a profound intellectual disabilty, unable to care for herself including feeding and toileting, crying with period pain and emotional upheavals every month (and needing someone to deal with the resulting mess - usually parents) and still vulnerable to sexual abuse because she is 'safe' as she can never tell.

When working in mental retardation (as it was known then) some decades ago, a lot of girls were given depo-provera for period management (with an added side effect of contraception). I can't remember what came in to change it, possibly informed consent, but suddenly there was an Allied Health person hovering about asking these moderately retarded young women with a mental age of under 10 if they would 'rather have a baby or a needle'. Hmmmm.

[lady*em]

I've heard that too Elizabeth's-mum. A social worker who told a disabled girl that she wouldn't be able to have a baby, and wouldn't she like to have a baby one day? Of course girl replies that she wants a little baby. Great. And who is going to look after the little baby. Considering girl has a mental capacity of an 8 year old, can't read or write with no possibility of being able to.

It is scandalous that parents now can't protect their severely disabled daughters from pregnancy and having to deal with periods. A lot of these young women cannot deal with menstruation themselves, and the mothers have to change pads etc. it is difficult to even get contraception for them. Parents are terrified of the court system for fear they will be deemed to be acting against the interests of their child and being referred to the Adult Guardian. The AG can remove a child/adult from your care without reason or explanation and they dont even have to tell you where they take them. There is no appeals process with the AG. Any wonder parents stay silent?