FORCED STERILISATION CASES
Jun 24th, 2009 by admin
A women’s charity is planning to sue the Namibian government for allegedly sterilising HIV-positive women without their consent. The International Community of Women Living with HIV/Aids claims women are being tricked into sterilisation after being told the procedure is a routine treatment for AIDS. The charity claims 45 HIV-positive Namibian women have been made infertile against their will, and is bringing 15 cases against the government. It has documented cases in Namibia where HIV-positive women about to give birth are encouraged to sign consent forms without the implications being explained. A HIV-positive mother has a one in four chance of passing on the virus to her child. Although antiretroviral drugs can cut the to less than one in 50, they are not available to many African women.
