A new guide for pediatricians indicates that young people with intellectual disabilities should try reversible contraception before considering sterilization. (think stock)
Despite its controversial history, a new guide for the country’s pediatricians recommends that permanent contraception should be an option for people with intellectual disabilities.
in a clinical report Published this week, the American Academy of Pediatrics says sterilization should be one of many considerations when treating people with intellectual developmental disorder.
“Permanent contraception can be considered as part of a continuum of treatment options that support the well-being of each individual and therefore be considered after all other options have been exhausted,” reads the guidance developed by the Committee. of Bioethics of the group’s Council for Children with Disabilities. .
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The report details the legal, ethical, and medical considerations that pediatricians should take into account when considering the reproductive health needs of young people with intellectual disabilities.
Providers should work with families to address concerns about emerging sexuality, fertility, menstrual hygiene management, and the risk of sexual abuse and sexually transmitted infections, all of which can spark conversations about permanent contraception, the study says. pediatrics group.
The guide also addresses the history of involuntary sterilization of people with disabilities, which was supported by the eugenics movement. As a result, the pediatrics group notes that states and courts have taken steps to severely limit access to permanent contraception for minors with intellectual developmental disorders, given that they are a “vulnerable population still at risk of maltreatment, abuse and marginalization”.
The American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges in the report that it differs from other professional and patient advocacy organizations that oppose permanent contraception for those who cannot consent.
The guideline indicates that permanent contraception should only be considered for those with intellectual developmental disorder if other reversible contraceptive methods have been tried and found unsatisfactory. Such a decision should be based on careful discussion over a period of time with the surrogate decision maker and potentially other family members, caregivers, health and social support providers, and should be based on what is in the best interests of the child. individual, he told the pediatrics group.
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