Dutch courts forced six women to take mandatory birth control measures

Dutch courts forced at least six women with a psychiatric illness last year to take anti-conception, the Volkskrant reported. The Mandatory Mental Health Act was implemented at the beginning of 2020. It allows the court to mandate anti-conception for women with a severe psychiatric illness.

“In some cases, it has to be done. Otherwise, a child will be born that has to be given up immediately after birth. The law prevents serious harm to only the mother but also the child,” retired professor for family and juvenile law Paul Vlaardingerbroek told the Volkskrant.

Obligatory anticonception medication has been heavily debated in the Netherlands. Opponents argue that everyone has the right to determine for themselves if they want to have a child.

Yet, former juvenile court judge Cees de Groot called it a “sensational breakthrough” because some “vulnerable” women are unable to care for their child.

The Rotterdam court was the first to order a woman with schizophrenia to take anti-conception medication via injections in September 2020. “The defendant is not able to take care of a child at the moment,” the judge stated at the time.

Five further women were forced to take anticonception medication by the courts in Amsterdam, Noord-Nederland and Zeeland-West-Brabant.

The GGD has been talking to men and women with mental health problems since 2014 about anticonception. Roughly 70 percent of female participants used anticonception, but De Groot is worried about the remaining 30 percent.“We can’t say: just let the rest be. For this group, more encouragement is necessary,” the former juvenile court judge said.