On Tuesday, March 8, the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that removes the requirement for spousal consent for sterilization procedures, including tubal ligation and vasectomy. The approved text is a substitute by Federal Deputy Soraya Santos (PL-RJ) and will now be sent to the Senate for a vote.

Under current legislation, both men and women in marital unions must obtain consent from their spouse to undergo sterilization procedures. The bill, authored by Deputy Carmen Zanotto (Cidadania-SC), also lowers the minimum age for voluntary sterilization from 25 to 21 years and allows women to undergo the procedure immediately after childbirth.

“The law should not intervene and make decisions for us,” said the rapporteur, lamenting the long wait women currently face to undergo the procedure through the Unified Health System (SUS).

The bill also ensures that any method and technique of contraception will be offered within 30 days. To request tubal ligation, a woman must express interest at least 60 days before childbirth.

Attorney Mariana Nery, a specialist in women’s rights and partner at Dias, Lima e Cruz Advocacia, points out that although the law requires consent from both spouses, the reality is different. “The reality is that a wife rarely needs to authorize her husband’s vasectomy, while the woman almost always needs her husband’s consent for tubal ligation. Given this scenario and Brazil’s machista society, the approved bill is a small step forward for women’s sexual and reproductive rights,” she emphasizes.

Article published in Correio Braziliense.