Many physically disabled women have lost their chance to become mothers as, without their knowledge or even permission, they were subjected to sterilisation.

"Some of them don't even know when it happened," Nattaya Boonpakdee said yesterday. "These women found out the harsh reality only after they visited doctors to check why they were not becoming pregnant after being married for a long time."

Nattaya heads the Thai Health Promotion Founda-tion's sexual-health promotion division.

She said such sterilisation was a clear violation of their rights.

According to Nattaya, various groups are now fighting for the child-bearing rights of wo-men with physical disabilities.

At a recent seminar on sexuality, many academics said women with physical disabilities have faced a lot of social pressure when they are in a sexual relationship or become pregnant.

"They are sexually controlled. Other people try to

prevent them from being in sexual relationships and from responding to their sexual needs," said Dr Penchan Pradubmook-Sherer of the Mahidol University.

Very often public-health officials urged disabled women to undergo sterilisation, she added.

"When disabled women become pregnant, hospital officials say they are irresponsible and their children will become a burden to society," Penchan said.

Penchan said a disabled woman once complained that she was sterilised because government officials were afraid that she would become pregnant if raped.

"But she asked whether this would protect her against rapists. She said disabled people did not want welfare. They want their rights protected," Penchan said.

Dr Chalidaporn Songsamphan, who teaches at Thammasat University's Faculty of Political Science, said society should not deprive disabled women of their right to become mothers.

The Nation