Conservatorship of Valerie N., 707 P.2d 760 (Cal. 1985)

Authors

Doriane Lambelet Coleman, Duke Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Chapter of Book

Publication Date

2022

Keywords

disability, informed consent, reproductive health, sterilization, surrogate decision-making, supported decision-making, sexual liberty

Abstract

Conservatorship of Valerie N. is the next case in this volume. The original 1985 opinion from the California Supreme Court concerned an “adult developmentally disabled daughter,” whose parents wished to have her surgically sterilized because she was (according to the parents) sexually aggressive towards men. Although the original opinion held that the California law did not authorize the sterilization of Valerie the case is nonetheless ripe for a feminist rewrite. Professor Doriane Lambelet Coleman’s feminist judgment demonstrates how feminism requires attention not only to women’s issues in general but also to the woman herself, and not only to childbearing (or not) but also to sexuality separate from its procreative aspects.

Comments

© Cambridge University Press 2022. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution or re-use.

Citation

Doriane Lambelet Coleman, Conservatorship of Valerie N., 707 P.2d 760 (Cal. 1985), in Feminist Judgments: Health Law Rewritten 85-93 (Seema Mohapatra & Lindsay F. Wiley eds., 2022)