The real irony here is that St. John's won't do *elective* tubal ligation. Catholic hospital and all that. They do vasectomies though. Go figure.

Umm, you will still ovulate after a tubal ligation is performed. They don't do anything to the ovaries, they simply tie and cut the fallopian tubes, so that the egg can't get into the uterus anymore. So, you will STILL ovulate, it just won't result in a pregnancy.

All the ovulation predictor kits in the world won't tell you a thing, the proof that the tubal wasn't done will be when you get pregnant.

I have worked as a nurse in obstetrics for MANY years, and this is the first I have EVER heard of this happening. That doctor, while I am sure she felt she was acting in the patient's best interest, was unethical, dishonest, and should not be allowed to do surgery ever again.

Guess what? You still ovulate even if you've had a tubal so an ovulation test proves nothing.

Anna, you goof. You still ovulate, even after a tubiligation.

Umm, even if you have a tubal ligation you will continue to ovulate because you would still have your ovaries

Let me guess--some woman who was poor and on welfare, and had several kids already.

goddess anna-

it's not a fear that you should lose sleep over- im an ob nurse, i cant even fathom this happening, it wouldnt even be possible in any hospital ive ever worked at. but having your tubes tied has nothing to do with ovulation. people who have their tubes tied still ovualate.

GOOF'S what does ovulating have to do with anything? she still can't get pregnant again

To the goddess anna:

You do realize that a tubal ligation will not prevent you from ovulating, don't you? A tubal is simply a means of trying to prevent the egg produced from ovulating from reaching the uterus. Thus, your ovulation test does not provide you with any information that will be useful in proving or disproving whether or not a tubal ligation was actually performed.

one less redneck churning out future britany's and or welfare schlubs, way to go doc!

I hate to burst your goddess bubble, Anna, but a tubal ligation doesn't in ANY WAY affect whether or not you ovulate. All it does is prevent a released egg from making its way through the Fallopian tubes into your uterus. You wasted your time and money on the ovulation tests if you wanted to prove that you hadn't been secretly sterilized.

After reading most of the comments on the first page many are correct in commenting that we do not have ALL the facts here. However, at the end of the day the question is simply: Eugenics.

In the past women in mental hospitals throughout Europ were steralized without their or their loved ones consent. Supposed reasoning: "THEY" did not want their country running rampant with the children of mental patients. (THEY who -- health officials, government, etc.)

Next question: What kind of mental illnesses? A woman could have gone in for slight depression. Duration of stay - 1 week, by the end of the week her ovaries were gone!

Many may say, Depression is a mental illness -- therefore no crime was comitted. So, today we say YES to steralizing mental patients, then learning disabled patients, afterward asthma, followed by diabetes. Where do we stop? Why should we stop? Aren't we making the world a better place?!?

What the doctor did was WRONG, but I DO still think people should have to apply for a license before having children. Most people who have babies like puppies have no clue how to raise them, and end up on welfare, and their children also end up reproducing like bunnies and going on welfare. The acorns never fall too far from the tree!!

you can still ovulate after having a tubal ligation

without a tubal ligation the woman gets preg again baby dies the mother is in bad shape thats a heck of a lawsuit ... think about it. its always the drs. fault

You would ovulate regardless of having had a tubal or not. No legitimate OBGYN would EVER perform sterilization without permission.

What she did wasn't right, but put yourself in her shoes. Doctor's take an oath to never harm a patient, and to help others. Should the patient in this case ever get pregnant again there would be severe damage to the patient, and huge risk to the unborn child. That doctor may have saved multiple lives by doing what she did, knowing very well that her entire career, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and YEARS of education were at stake.

That was a key fact the article left out. Now I sort of understand why the Doctor did what she did. I 'm curious, though, about the medical status that led to the Doctor's action. Did the patient not have a guardian/advocate to discuss the possible consequences of another pregnancy with? Interesting case.