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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>86736</law_id><section_number>54.1-2976</section_number><catch_line>Sterilization operations for certain adults 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 eighteen years of age or older, who does not have the capacity to give informed consent to such an operation, 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 person resides by the person&#x2019;s parent or parents, guardian, spouse, or next friend requesting that the operation be performed; <a id="paragraph-310600" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2976/#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 person a <span class="dictionary">party</span> <span class="dictionary">defendant</span>, served the person, the person&#x2019;s guardian, if any, the person&#x2019;s spouse, if any, and if there is no spouse, the person&#x2019;s parent with notice of the proceedings and appointed for the person an attorney-at-<span class="dictionary">law</span> to represent and protect the person&#x2019;s interests; <a id="paragraph-310601" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2976/#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 person upon whom the operation is to be performed, to the person&#x2019;s guardian, if any, to the person&#x2019;s spouse, if any, and, if there is no spouse, to the parent; <a id="paragraph-310602" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2976/#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 (i) that the person has been legally adjudged to be incapacitated in accordance with Chapter 20 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/64.2-2000/">64.2-2000</a> et seq.) of Title 64.2 and (ii) that the person 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-310603" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2976/#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 person concerning the sterilization, giving the views of the person such weight in its decision as the <span class="dictionary">court</span> deems appropriate; <a id="paragraph-310604" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2976/#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-310605" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2976/#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-310606" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2976/#7"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1981, c. 454, &#xA7; 54-325.11; 1988, c. 765; 1997, c. 921.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
