Redressing Forced Sterilisation: The Role of the Medical Profession

• Published in: BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• Main Authors: Gilmore, Sunneva, Moffett, Luke
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2729; name=Obstetrics and Gynaecology; /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions; name=SDG 16 - Peace; Justice and Strong Institutions; Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/publications/2ab09e25-7e21-4f09-9228-be6392415924; https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16204; https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/200789286/19_1784R2_final.pdf

Forced sterilisation has been used by many states to control or diminish minority groups. Examples of forced sterilisation include the Nazis against Jewish, Roma and Sinti peoples and the Imperial Japanese Army in Korea during the Second World War, its historic use against Native Americans in the United States and more recent practice in Peru and the First Nations people in Canada. While it is prohibited under international criminal law, forced sterilisation often involves medical practitioners with little reflection on the context and drivers of such violations within the profession.