Human Rights Commission

Media release

10 November 2013

Non-consensual sterilisation laws for children outdated

The Government must reform the laws governing non-consensual sterilisation for children, says Disability Rights Commissioner Paul Gibson.

Mr Gibson’s call follows TVNZ’s Sunday reporting children as young as 7 years old are being sterilised without their consent.

“There may very well be cases where non-consensual sterilisation is the last and only option available. But it's hard to imagine any argument for sterilising a 7 year old.

“This supports anecdotal evidence I have heard relating to children just 6 years' old. The New Zealand legal system is simply too soft. Unlike in Australia, a court order is not required for sterilisation without consent of intellectually disabled persons under the age of 18.

“We have to do a better job at protecting the basic rights of these young people. We also need to give families practical advice and support to help them manage other minimally intrusive options.

“We'd like to see a process that gives the young person who has to live with the consequences of the decision, some say over their own future and some control over their own body,” says Paul Gibson.

END

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