[mercyteapot]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...,4344244.story

[Hopefull2009]

Call me cruel, but I agree with the guardian.

People who are mentally disabled are not capable of managing birth control or protecting themselves from STD's. She is certainly not capable of raising a child.

This is not even close to the same thing that was happening in the 40's and 50's where so many women were "fixed" against their will, that were TEMPORARY wards of the state and frequent misdiagnosis was taking place.

I personally think it should be expanded...if you give birth to a drug addicted baby, you should be sterilized before you leave the hospital. If you are a known, convicted prostitute, I think you should be sterilized if you are HIV+.

[Jolie]

My concern is that the guardian stated that the disabled woman has had reactions to medical forms of birth control.

Of course we don't know what those reactions were, but if this young woman is truly unable to use less invasive forms of contraception, then there is a likelihood that she will become pregnant.

I don't envy anyone involved here.

[VivaLasViejas]

So..........who winds up taking care of any future child this unfortunate woman may have? And what decent human being would put her in a position where she could become pregnant in the first place? If she's so disabled that she can't be left home alone, she most certainly is incapable of making decisions about whether to have sex or what sort of birth control to use.

Sometimes, in an effort to give everyone equal rights, we wind up doing more harm than good because---"politically correct" or not---some folks are NOT equally capable of handling the responsibilities that go along with them. This ruling does no one any favors.

[mercyteapot]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

Call me cruel, but I agree with the guardian.

People who are mentally disabled are not capable of managing birth control or protecting themselves from STD's. She is certainly not capable of raising a child.

This is not even close to the same thing that was happening in the 40's and 50's where so many women were "fixed" against their will, that were TEMPORARY wards of the state and frequent misdiagnosis was taking place.

I personally think it should be expanded...if you give birth to a drug addicted baby, you should be sterilized before you leave the hospital. If you are a known, convicted prostitute, I think you should be sterilized if you are HIV+.

Does it not bother you in the least that there are no legal or constitutional grounds on which to demand that people deemed "incapable" of raising a child be sterilized?

Forced sterilization is no protection against any STD, so I'm afraid I don't get what you're driving at with that point at all. Given the assistance and supervision that would be provided to a child born by this woman, I'd venture to say her offspring would be better protected than those of many drug addicts or child abusers.

[Diary/Dairy]

But paid for by the taxpayers......

[mercyteapot]

Originally Posted by Jolie

My concern is that the guardian stated that the disabled woman has had reactions to medical forms of birth control.

Of course we don't know what those reactions were, but if this young woman is truly unable to use less invasive forms of contraception, then there is a likelihood that she will become pregnant.

I don't envy anyone involved here.

That concerned me, too, but then I thought about all the people I've known in my life that had unplanned pregnancy after unplanned pregnancy. They all claim that they "can't" take the pill. I'm not casting aspersions on any particular individual, but either this cohort is one huge coincidence or... well, you know. I'm not saying that the aunt is lying, but I would think that the court would have looked to any credible evidence that birth control would put this woman at medical risk before making a decision.

[mercyteapot]

Originally Posted by Diary/Dairy

But paid for by the taxpayers......

Unless we are going to start demanding forced sterilization of women who draw state aid, we can't even fathom going down the slope of using that as a designation.

[Diary/Dairy]

I am not demanding that at all - but I do resent having to subsidize so many things with my taxes..... from pork projects, to welfare moms, etc etc. I am NOT saying don't take care of them...but I resent having to pay for some things.....

[Spidey's mom]

Mercy - I was suspicious of that point too . . there are so many forms of birth control . . . which one caused the bad reaction and why couldn't she use another form? Hmmm . . . .

I want a guardian to have to go through significant legal hoops. Significant.

"The ruling means a guardian must go through some "significant legal hoops" before a court will order sterilization, said the woman's attorney, John Whitcomb of Equip for Equality, a disability rights group.. . . ."