Forced Sterilizations Among HIV-Positive Women in Africa Exposed

Modern medicine has made it possible for many HIV-positive women to give birth to HIV-negative babies. However, health care workers in numerous African countries, including South Africa and Namibia, have been accused of performing sterilizations on HIV-positive women without their consent, reports IRIN/PlusNews. These acts are considered serious human rights violations, and legal groups have been working with some of the women to file lawsuits.

According to the article, bilateral tubal ligations (BTLs) -- sealing the fallopian tubes shut to prevent pregnancy -- were sometimes performed on HIV-positive women without their knowledge after they gave birth. In other cases, the women were told to sign consent forms without knowing what the forms said. Some women admitted that they knew what was happening, but did not feel that they had a choice to opt out of the procedure. It has