Disabled people have fought to make their own decisions about their bodies. But many laws still take that decision away. These include laws about sterilization.
Sterilization is an operation that stops someone from ever having babies. In many states, laws say that doctors can sterilize disabled people against their will. This is called forced sterilization.
Most states allow forced sterilization today. Laws allowing forced sterilization exist in 31 states plus Washington, D.C.
We wrote this report in Plain Language. Plain Language is a style that is more accessible to many people. We wrote this report with help from the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network.