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Portugal's National Ethics Council calls for explicit ban on forced sterilisation
The National Council for Ethics in the Life Sciences (CNECV) released an opinion urging an explicit and unequivocal prohibition of forced sterilisation, particularly for individuals lacking the capacity to consent due to profound intellectual disability. The council recommends that the wording of pending legislation be changed from “people with disability” to “people without capacity to consent, resulting from profound and irreversible intellectual disability.”
CNECV stresses that non‑therapeutic sterilisation performed without informed consent constitutes a serious violation of human rights and should be generally prohibited. It notes that forced sterilisation is already illegal in Portugal, but its residual practice reflects clinical, social and familial challenges that require a broad, coordinated response. Therapeutic sterilisation is deemed ethically legitimate when clinically necessary to preserve a person's life or health, while non‑therapeutic procedures may only be considered in exceptionally rare cases.
The opinion was requested by the parliamentary Commission of Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Liberties and Guarantees in relation to draft bills from the Socialist Party (PS), People‑Animals‑Nature (PAN) and the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda). Those bills aim to criminalise forced sterilisation and to guarantee reproductive rights for people with reduced decision‑making capacity.
Entities
Assembleia da República (Portuguese Parliament) · Bloco de Esquerda · Conselho Nacional de Ética para as Ciências da Vida (CNECV) · Partido Socialista (PS) · Pessoas‑Animais‑Natureza (PAN)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Forced sterilisation is already prohibited by law in Portugal. observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] The parliamentary Commission of Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Liberties and Guarantees requested the CNECV opinion concerning bills from PS, PAN and Bloco de Esquerda. observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] Non‑therapeutic sterilisation may be considered only in exceptionally rare cases. observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] CNECV recommends revising bill language from “people with disability” to “people without capacity to consent, due to profound intellectual disability.” observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] The CNECV advocates an explicit and unequivocal prohibition of forced sterilisation. observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] Forced sterilisation without informed consent violates human rights. observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] Therapeutic sterilisation is ethically legitimate when clinically necessary to preserve life or health. observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] Draft bills from the Socialist Party, People‑Animals‑Nature and the Left Bloc aim to criminalise forced sterilisation and protect reproductive rights of people with reduced capacity. observador.pt · www.dnoticias.pt · sapo.pt