Campaigners seek EU-wide ban on forced sterilisation of people with disabilities

Spanish disability rights activist Cristina Paredero grew up feeling different and was diagnosed with a form of autism aged 18. Paredero, who is now 31 and angry with her parents over what happened, helped draft a 2020 law banning forced or coerced sterilisation in Spain and is now fighting to outlaw the practice across the European Union (EU). Forced sterilisation is a surgical procedure that removes a person's capacity to have children without consent, or under undue pressure.