Czech Gypsies demand apology for forced sterilisations
The Czech ombudsman is examining the stories of more than 60 Roma (Gypsy) women who complain that doctors sterilised them against their will. Large families are common amongst the Roma and infertility is shameful for both men and women. Often partners deserted women who had been sterilised against their will. Under the Communists doctors routinely sterilised Roma women to eliminate “undesirables”. But the alarming feature of these complaints is that they happened after the “Velvet Revolution” and the restoration of democracy. Often, the Roma women claim, doctors and social workers would get them to sign consent forms while they were still befuddled by anaesthetic. Many of the women were illiterate and could not understand the forms in any case. Sometimes doctors actually lied, telling them that sterilisation could be reversed later on by injecting drugs. “Our doctors often just act without asking the patient’s opinion,” an official from the ombudsman’s office told the Observer. “This is a big problem in our society.”
- Prescribe morning-after pills to young teenagers, say US pediatric group - November 30, 2012
- Bahrain sentences protest docs to prison - November 28, 2012
- Terry Pratchett assisted suicide documentary wins International Emmy - November 27, 2012
More Stories
A first in France: a trans mum and a trans dad
Trigger warning: if you are easily confused by gender pronouns, this story from France may cause heart palpitations. February 19...
Nigerian power couple convicted in London over organ trafficking plot
In May last year, a young Nigerian man stumbled into a police station into the English town of Staines, in...
Cease and desist: Dutch sperm donor who has fathered 550 children is being sued
A Dutch woman and a foundation for children of sperm donors are suing a Dutch man for fathering too many...
Should intractable mental illness make you eligible for euthanasia?
Canada is in the middle of a vigorous debate about whether incurable mental illness is grounds for Medical Assistance in...
Belgium to permit multiple gender ID changes
Belgium will permit people to change their gender identity as often as they want. The Minister of Justice, Vincent Van...
Nature’s foray into politics may have backfired
In the 2020 election, a swag of high-profile science journals, including Nature, Science, The Lancet, and the New England Journal...