Version 2012
PDF Upload
Handbook of WMA Policies
S-2012-03-2012 ⏐ World Medical Association
WMA STATEMENT
ON
FORCED AND COERCED STERILISATION
Adopted by the 63rd
WMA General Assembly, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2012
The WMA recognises that no person, regardless of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic
status, medical condition or disability, should be subjected to forced or coerced permanent
sterilisation.
A full range of contraceptive services, including sterilisation, should be accessible and
affordable to every individual. The state may have a role to play in ensuring that such ser-
vices are available, along with private, charitable and third sector organisations. The
decision to undergo contraception, including sterilisation, must be the sole decision of the
individual concerned.
As with all other medical treatments, sterilisation should only be performed on a com-
petent patient after an informed choice has been made and the free and valid consent of the
individual has been obtained. Where a patient is incompetent, a valid decision about treat-
ment must be made in accordance with relevant legal requirements and the ethical
standards of the WMA before the procedure is carried out. Sterilization of those unable to
give consent would be extremely rare and done only with the consent of the surrogate
decision maker.
Such consent should be obtained when the patient is not facing a medical emergency, or
other major stressor.
The WMA condemns practices where a state or any other actor attempts to bypass ethical
requirements necessary for obtaining free and valid consent.
Consent to sterilisation should be free from material or social incentives which might
distort freedom of choice and should not be a condition of other medical care (including
safe abortion), social, insurance, institutional or other benefits.
The WMA calls on national medical associations to advocate against forced and coerced
sterilisation in their own countries and globally.
R
E
S
C
I
N
D
E
D