(a) It is the policy of the State of Vermont to allow voluntary and involuntary sterilizations of adults with an intellectual disability under circumstances that will ensure that the best interests and rights of such persons are fully protected. In accordance with this policy, a person with an intellectual disability, as defined in 1 V.S.A. § 146, may not be sterilized without his or her consent unless there is a prior hearing in the Superior Court as provided in this chapter. A person with an intellectual disability under 18 years of age shall not be sterilized.

(b) Sterilization is defined to mean a surgical procedure, the purpose of which is to render an individual incapable of procreating. (Added 1981, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 111; 2017, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § 102.)