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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>80885</law_id><section_number>54.1-2975</section_number><catch_line>Sterilization operations for certain children incapable of informed consent</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>54.1-2977</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="29">Medicine and Other Healing Arts</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="7">Sexual Sterilization</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>It shall be lawful for any physician licensed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> of Medicine to perform a vasectomy, salpingectomy, or other surgical sexual sterilization procedure on a person fourteen years of age or older and less than eighteen years of age when:</p></section>
						<section id="1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> A <span class="dictionary">petition</span> has been filed in the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> of the county or city wherein the child resides by the parent or parents having <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of the child or by the child&#x2019;s guardian, spouse, or next friend requesting that the operation be performed; <a id="paragraph-289932" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2975/#1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="2"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> The <span class="dictionary">court</span> has made the child a <span class="dictionary">party</span> <span class="dictionary">defendant</span>, served the child, the child&#x2019;s guardian, if any, the child&#x2019;s spouse, if any, and the child&#x2019;s parent who has <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of the child with notice of the proceedings and appointed for the child an attorney-at-<span class="dictionary">law</span> to represent and protect the child&#x2019;s interests; <a id="paragraph-289933" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2975/#2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="3"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> The <span class="dictionary">court</span> has determined that a full, reasonable, and comprehensible medical explanation as to the meaning, consequences, and risks of the sterilization operation to be performed and as to alternative methods of contraception has been given by the physician to the child upon whom the operation is to be performed, to the child&#x2019;s guardian, if any, to the child&#x2019;s spouse, if any, and, if there is no spouse, to the parent who has <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of the child; <a id="paragraph-289934" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2975/#3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="4"><p><span class="prefix-number">4.</span> The <span class="dictionary">court</span> has determined by clear and convincing <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> that the child&#x2019;s mental abilities are so impaired that the child is incapable of making his or her own decision about sterilization and is unlikely to develop mentally to a sufficient degree to make an informed <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> about sterilization in the foreseeable future; <a id="paragraph-289935" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2975/#4"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="5"><p><span class="prefix-number">5.</span> The <span class="dictionary">court</span>, to the greatest extent possible, has elicited and taken into account the views of the child concerning the sterilization, giving the views of the child such weight in its decision as the <span class="dictionary">court</span> deems appropriate; <a id="paragraph-289936" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2975/#5"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="6"><p><span class="prefix-number">6.</span> The <span class="dictionary">court</span> has complied with the requirements of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Standards for court-authorized sterilization of certain persons" href="/54.1-2977/">54.1-2977</a>; and <a id="paragraph-289937" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2975/#6"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="7"><p><span class="prefix-number">7.</span> The court has entered an order authorizing a qualified physician to perform the operation not earlier than thirty days after the date of the entry of the order, and thirty days have elapsed. The <span class="dictionary">court order</span> shall state the date on and after which the sterilization operation may be performed. <a id="paragraph-289938" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2975/#7"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1981, c. 454, &#xA7; 54-325.10; 1988, c. 765.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
