California prisons sterilized women without approval

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Nearly 150 female prisoners have been sterilized over a five-year period without the required approval of a California medical committee.

The Los Angeles Times reports that dozens of female inmates received tubal ligations that hadn't been approved. Ten women claim they were sterilized improperly in other procedures, including having their ovaries removed.

The operations were done at outside hospitals and medical facilities by doctors under contract with the state's Corrections Department.

Some of the women say they felt coerced to undergo the surgery, although they signed a written consent.

New procedures to limit sterilizations were implemented in 2010. Since then, there has been only one such surgery and it was ruled medically necessary.

The allegations were first reported by the Center of Investigative Reporting.

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