Spousal Consent for Sterilization
Episode: 3 April 2011, Question 4
Should spousal consent be required for sterilization procedures? A fairly well-known mommy blogger recently revealed that she was required to sign a consent form for her husband's vasectomy. Reading through some of the remarks on her blog, many of her commenters seem to support such a practice, believing that a person has a right to be involved in the reproductive decisions of his/her spouse. I think it's a violation of individual rights, and having had a sterilization procedure myself, I'd have been BEYOND upset if my spouse had been required to give his consent. He was in agreement with my decision, but I can't help but wonder what happens in situations where a person does not want his/her spouse to have a vasectomy, tubal ligation, etc. Any thoughts?
My Answer, In Brief: As a matter of law, spousal consent should not be required for any medical procedure. However, a doctor might want such consent to protect his own reputation, given that he knows that married couples are too often not honest with each other.
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