Portugal among the few countries that allow forced sterilization of disabled children
Portugal is one of the only three European countries that allows forced sterilization of children with disabilities. The criminalization of this practice will only be debated again in the next legislature, after having been voting several bills.
The criminalization of forced sterilization in Portugal was being debated in the Commission on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees and various parties had bills to be voted in plenary.
However, the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic, and the consequent marking of early legislative elections, dictated that the bills would not be voted and that the subject was postponed until the next legislature.
The discussion was made without the national mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (ME-CDPD), an independent body that operates with the Assembly of the Republic, was heard.
The body's president, Vera Bonvalot pointed out that the great mission of the ME-CDPD is to ensure that the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities is implemented in Portugal correctly. Therefore, it will do everything to maintain the discussion on the subject and ensure that criminalization is voted again in the next legislature.
Already the vice president of the mechanism stressed that none of the various bills that were about to be voted-from BE, PS, Pan and Free-respected in full what is defined in the convention.
Sandra Marques said that forced sterilization practices of people with disabilities do not only happen in Portugal and are practical in many countries, noting that only in ten (Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, Spain and Malta) were criminalized.
Portugal is part of the group of three countries that allow this sterilization to be done in children. According to those responsible, this is a reality that is not concretely known and living on the lack of official statistical data.
