Between 2003 and 2011, more than 27,900 people underwent voluntary sexual sterilization. How many were sterilised on medical or mental grounds, without their written consent, is not disclosed. Although persons who coerce or intimidate another person to undergo sexual sterilisation can be fined a maximum of $10,000 (up from $5,000 before), unauthorised disclosure of confidential information relating to such matters attract a maximum fine of $10,000 (up from $2,000) and/or maximum jail term of 12 months. With such a severe gag order, will the true picture of draconian measures undertaken ever be known?
The new amendments in mind are supposed to accord the affected person the same legal rights as those imposing the extreme procedures on them. If the person is deemed to lack mental capacity, the proposed changes give the court power to decide on behalf of the individual. Bearing in mind the court also has the power to decide whether the individual is mentally capable in the first place, this smells like a catch-22 situation.
Opposition MP Sylvia Lim brought up another irksome matter: within our multi-racial and multi-cultural population are those whose religious convictions do not endorse sexual sterilisation for contraceptive purposes. Will they be over-ruled by the courts too? One Archbishop has been known to change his stance on a humanitarian issue after being invited out for lunch by a minister.
The Health Minister's response that "all relevant circumstances will also be explored" doesn't sound too assuring:
"As an additional safeguard, the spouse or parent or guardian will need to apply to the Court for an order to proceed. Similar to the Court's role under the MCA, the Court may then make an order declaring that the treatment is necessary in the best interests of the person. This application will need to be supported by a doctor's report stating that the person lacks mental capacity to give his or her own consent to the procedure, and that the procedure is necessary in the person's best interests."
We have already seen how a legal professional, waving a letter from a medical professional, march into a court house, and nearly declared an individual mentally incapacitated. More worrying, we have seen too many politicians exhibiting behaviors which bother on the bizarre- such as donning a cape and mask to ape a comic hero. Who's protecting us from them?
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Between Ravi and Harry, I am inclined to think the latter is more likely to be "mentally incapacitated."
ReplyDeleteIt makes me wonder how Lee Jr will respond if Harry is in such a stage, even partially and will Lee Jr have the stomach to relinquish the old man of all official duties and confine him?
for sure he would not need to be sterilized, or would he?
DeleteBut the creeping tentacles of the state has been working its grip around our throats for decades, Big Brother will be there for you, cradle to grave, sucking you out of your life. I am not sure an alternative govt will be willing to relinquish or reverse any laws that give the govt greater control over the peasants.
my apology to all for posting the 1st comment @6.35pm
Deletelast sentence should be, "will Lee Jr have the stomach to compel the old man to relinquish all his official appointments and confine him ?"
don't understand what you are trying to say... your blog is hard to read
ReplyDeleteHis blog is more intellectual. which part do u not understand?
DeleteAgree ,anon@ 7:17pm.
DeleteNow, that leave us wondering if anon @ 6:42pm is ..... No, must not put down anyone.
Love the last paragraph by the author.
DeleteI don't see how paragraphs link from one to another
DeleteNot only is he "mentally incapacitated', isn't he "dangerous" in the eyes of the law when he uttered those words about waiting for his enemy with a hatchet ? Hey, remember hatchet is for butchering people leh, not criminal meh ?
ReplyDeleteHow can he be more professionally fit than Ravi as a decent human being ?
Under what circumstances will a person want another to be sterilised... to the extent that a court order is required?
ReplyDeleteWhy don;t the Health Minister just come out with the statistics that how many mentally retarded people either under the care of the state or family have been raped involuntarily? Is the abuse and the numbers so alarmingly high that we need such a hitlerian law in place?
DeleteWhat has this nation become?
Most of the inhabitants of Sinland have become sex addicted. These include educator, top civil servant, employee and maybe lot more others.
DeleteThis country has gone the way of the pigs.
Why don't our intelligent PAP leaders come straight to the point and come up with a law that empowers the Govt to put away any child who is believed to be mentally incapacitated before they reach school age, so that any budget needed to provide for them can be saved to build/maintain that Gardens that will make foreigners envy us ?
DeleteThen LKY can go and tell the whole world we where got unintelligent people just like where we got beggars !
Just vote in more Opposition Party MPs to offer all Singaporeans greater protection from the Pro Alien Party and their cronies.
ReplyDeleteIs sterilization a common practice in developed nations? That should be the question.
ReplyDeleteCorrina Lim, executive director of women's rights group AWARE on the subject:
ReplyDelete"Now that it's on the Hospital Ethics Committee's procedure, then what is important is, really, the guidelines of the hospital ethics committee. How do they make this decision? Hopefully, that is something that will be transparent."
What is really important is that there are too many recent cases of doctors working in our hospitals who molest young women, even members of the hospital staff. And they are still dragging their feet about the PRC doctor who lied about his tainted record in the United States. What kind of ethics are promoted by the Hospital Ethics Committee?
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities upholds the rights of persons with disabilities and contains specific articles of relevance to the issue of involuntary sterilization. Article 23 reinforces the right of people with disabilities to found and maintain a family and to retain their fertility on an equal basis with others.
DeleteThe practice of forced sterilization continues to be justified by governments, legal, medical and other professionals, and family members and carers as being in the “best interests” of women and girls with disabilities. However, arguments for their “best interests” often have little to do with the rights of women and girls with disabilities and more to do with social factors, such as avoiding inconvenience to caregivers, the lack of adequate measures to protect against the sexual abuse and exploitation of women and girls with disabilities, and the lack of adequate and appropriate services to support women with disabilities in their decision to become parents. You can see where all this leads - if you want to provide adequate and appropriate services to support women with disabilities in their decision to become parents, the forced Medisave deduction will be increased.
Isn't there one female PAP MP with a autistic child or mongoloid? Wonder how she feels about having him sterilised.
ReplyDelete