STERILIZATION – THE FINAL SOLUTION – INTRODUCTION

Posted on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 7:03 am

Sterilization is only for those who are sure that they want no more children. This is the ultimate in medical interference. An operation, sometimes under general anaesthetic, involving deliberate damage to the internal or external genitalia. From this, there is no going back, and all patients are counselled that reversal operations rarely succeed. Some pain and discomfort is to be expected, and even laparoscopic techniques carry a risk of future gynaecological problems. The first decision each couple have to make is, which one for the ‘chop’? Even with the most loving, sexually compatible and stable couple, this can be a difficult decision. There is an element of self-sacrifice here, which may be denied, but is present, nevertheless. One will be damaged, deprived of the ability to make a child, and one will not. One will have to come to terms with this personal loss, which is very different to the couple accepting that there will be no more children in this unit. It is common for the after-effects of sterilization to resemble grief, muted and unconscious though this might be. Grief for the damage, for the ending of fertility, for the children who might have been, but now never will be. The aim of sterilization counselling is to help the couple understand these feelings, and to filter out those for whom the decision is pressurized, or ill understood.

*48/197/1*