to be sitting on the fence with regards to the sterilisation of this lady with learning disabilites

[tomhardyismydh]

My ethical judgment tells me this is very wrong, but my moral and practical understanding of this situation tells me it maybe in her best interest.

what are others views, wishing not for this thread to turn out to be a bun fight.

Im thinking about the absolute rights of this woman and any further children she may have.

JUST because someone has a learning difficulty doesnt mean they cant adequately care for a child, have consensual sex, get married, work and all the other things too. BUT, like most things, learning difficulties is the name of a continuum of such difficulties. I saw this piece on todays This Morning show (and I only have their stated facts and the papers to go on) but Phillip Schoffield said that this woman couldnt give her INFORMED consent to such an operation (so must be pretty far along the continuum) AND she already has 1 child whilst pregnant with this child. PLUS they said her Mum was having to care for her daughter AND her grandchildren, with the Grandmother knowing she couldnt cope with any more grandchildren than the 2 she will have to care for till the age of 18! I stress again, I only have the facts from the TV and papers, but on this I believe the woman would also be unable to take proper precautions to prevent a third or more pregnancy so couldnt give informed consent for the coil, long-term injection etc either, let alone for sterilization. If this is the case, and she needs care for herself and the children she carries, Id have to say this is in everyones best interests not to have more children.
I only HOPE that the father(s) of these children have not in a position to have taken "advantage" of this woman and that she is as consensual for the sex as she is able. Im sure her caring Mum would have done her best to see that was the case, even if she couldnt/shouldnt stop her daughter having sex.

I think the coil could be better than sterilisation, due to the "slippery slope" possibilities of the law.

I have an older brother with learning difficulties. He is 43 but basically he is a a young child in a mans body.
He has the same urges as other men but not the mental capacity to understand them properly. He has girlfriends (who also have learning difficulties) and there does appear to be quite a lot of promiscuity which seems to be down to the fact that they don't understand the implications or consequences of sex.
He had one girlffriend who refused to have sex using a condom (I have it drummed into him that he does not have sex without a condom because I will not raise a baby that he has made and neither should the girls mother have to) she also posed for topless pictures which i found when i picked up his photographs after they were developed.
I told him that if the police found them he'd go to jail to deter him from doing this again and he said she made him take the photographs (who knows wht the truth is there?!). What if the photography place had reported him to the police? He could have been facing criminal charges that he would not have understood because he didn't know he'd done anything wrong.
Basically we are talking about children in adults bodies and would we want our children to be having sex and having babies because it is 'morally' or 'ethically' wrong to have them sterilized?
I have talked about sex with my brother, repeatedly, but still he doesn't understand it fully. He doesn't fully understand the why he needs to use precautions, he doesnt always understand the boundaries involved.
He is not able to make the conscious decision to be sterilised, he could give his consent but it is highly unlikely he would fully understand what he was consenting to regardless of the amount of times I explained it to him.
He has not been sterilised, but he should be, but I can't force him to because of his rights.
He is a child in a mans body, surely his rights should be limited to the same as those of a child. We do what is in their best interests to keep them safe, happy and healthy.
Why can't we do the same for our adults who have learning difficulties?

I hadnt realsied the thread had really taken off.

its interesting to see that some people think thats its ok to use longeterm contaraception and not steralisation. I dont see the big difference other than this womans capacity having to be taken into concideration on a daily babsis if it where the pill, or a monthly three monthly or five to 10 yearly given the range of other contraception availible.

I have not heard what the dcissin was, has anyone else.