Voluntary Sterilization and Regret

Abstract

Abstract This chapter analyses women’s experiences of requesting to be sterilised and the frequency with which these requests are denied by doctors, often because of the worry that the woman may come to regret her decision. Contrary to these worries, it is demonstrated that very few women regret choosing to be sterilised. Furthermore, it is argued that the possibility of regret is not a good reason for denying a sterilization request, even if the probability of regret is high. The chapter shows why sterilization can be a woman’s preferred form of contraception, precisely because it is permanent and difficult to reverse. It also demonstrates how other facets of a woman’s identity may make it more or less likely that her sterilization request is agreed to. It ends with a discussion of why women requesting sterilization may be subject to epistemic injustice, especially because of the impact of pronatalism.