Family views on sterilization for their mentally retarded children

Eighty-eight parents of adolescents or adults with mental retardation answered written and/or telephone questionnaires concerning sterilization and reproductive health choices for their children with mental retardation. The 36 parents whose children were still living at home were more concerned about the capacity for sexual activity in their disabled child than were the 52 parents whose children were living outside the home. Otherwise, the two groups of parents were very similar in their attitudes. The reasons for considering sterilization were parental fear of sexual abuse, unwanted pregnancy and failure of birth control methods. Almost all the parents in this study wanted to participate in decisions concerning the sterilization of their disabled child.