California inmate sterilizations violated informed consent rules: audit

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California inmate sterilizations violated informed consent rules: audit

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - California failed to follow its own rules for obtaining consent from female prison inmates who were sterilized by having their fallopian tubes tied, a state audit released Thursday shows. The audit is the latest blow to the state's troubled prison system and comes as California is struggling to meet court-ordered demands to improve medical and mental healthcare in its overcrowded prisons. "These systemic failures are unacceptable for a procedure that is life-changing and irreversible." The report by the California State Auditor showed that of 144 tubal ligations performed between 2005 and 2011, errors were made in obtaining informed consent in 39 cases. In 27 of those cases, a physician failed to sign the consent form as required, the audit showed.

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