Judge in Great Britain Rules Woman May Be Forcibly Sterilized

A court in the U.K. has ruled that a British mother of six with an IQ of 70 can be legally sterilized to avoid possible health complications if she has another child.

Great Britain's social services asked a judge at the Court of Protection to grant the service group the right to forcibly sterilize the 36-year-old woman, who has had all six of her children taken away from her due to her learning disabilities and reported bad living circumstances.

Lawyers representing social services argued that upon visiting the mother's home, children were reportedly living in unhygienic circumstances overrun by animals.

Justice Cobb granted social services the ability to forcibly sterilize the woman, calling the case "exceptional" and "extreme" and arguing that the process would be "therapeutic sterilization" because it would protect the woman from possible health issues she could have in the future. The woman has reportedly refused to take contraception in the past.

"The ethical, legal and medical issues arising here are self-evidently of the utmost gravity, engaging, and profoundly impacting upon [the woman's] personal autonomy, privacy, bodily integrity, and reproductive rights," Judge Cobb wrote in his opinion.

"This is, in my judgment, an exceptional case on its facts; the applicants seek a range of relief which is likely to arise only in the most extreme circumstances."

"The risk to [the woman] of a future pregnancy, especially if concealed, is highly likely to lead to her death," he added.