124 of 200 signatures

Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality , President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Members of the European Parliament and The European Council

This petition is run by WeMove Europe

Petition

No one should be sterilised against their will and have the control over their own bodies taken away from them. The continued and wide-spread practice of forced sterilisation, most often of women and girls with disabilities, must end now. We ask you to prohibit forced sterilisation in all EU Member States as a part of the EU Directive on violence against women and domestic violence. Paving the way for a European Union where all persons with disabilities can enjoy healthy, dignified lives.

Why is this important?

When was the last time someone made an important decision for you, because they ‘knew best’? For most of us this would have been when we were small children. But, was this ever a decision as drastic and long-lasting as whether you could ever have children? 

In Europe today, there are authority figures who decide for people with disabilities, especially women and girls, that they should never have children. They pressure people with disabilities and their families to undergo forced sterilisation procedures - taking away their capacity to have children. Far from protecting them, victims of this barbaric treatment often suffer strong mental and physical health consequences as a result. [1]

For years the UN has raised concerns about 6 EU countries still authorising forced sterilisation, naming Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania and Slovakia. [2] Right now the EU Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, is working on a new EU law that could include an end to forced sterilisation. But our partners say that she is facing opposition from inside the European Commission. 

Commissioner Dalli will present this law to the European Parliament at the beginning of March. If we can show Dalli, ahead of this moment, that Europeans are behind her and want to end this terrible practice, we can drown out the naysayers within the Commission. Less than two years ago, Spain passed a law to end the forced sterilisation of people with disabilities following mass public outrage – we can do it in Europe, too. [3]

References:

  1. There are strong mental and physical health consequences to forced sterilisation. Along with potential early-onset menopause, osteoporosis and cardiovascular conditions, sterilisation causes trauma. http://www.inclusion-europe.eu/forced-sterilisation-of-women-and-girls-in-europe/
  2. https://www.edf-feph.org/content/uploads/2020/12/edf_forced-sterilisation_8-accessible_6.pdf
  3. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/spain-ends-forced-sterilization-of-disabled-people/2080625

Next step - spread the word

You're signing this as Not you? Click here