Woman’s fight for sterilisation raises questions over access to procedure

A psychologist who was denied sterilisation on the NHS has successfully challenged the decision after taking her case to the health ombudsman, raising questions over how accessible the procedure should be. Leah Spasova spent years seeking an operation to prevent pregnancy by blocking the fallopian tubes. Many argue that barriers faced by women, from funding refusals to stricter eligibility criteria, amount to unequal treatment compared with men seeking vasectomies, and limit bodily autonomy. However, others say tighter controls reflect legitimate medical concerns, including the procedure’s relative risk, its permanence, and evidence that some patients later regret the decision. In 2024-25, 10,793 female sterilisations were carried out, down 22% on a decade ago, while there were 26,385 vasectomies, up 16% year on year. Charlotte Glynn, a research and innovation nurse at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: “Working in abortion care, we see many women who have been placed on waiting lists for sterilisation or have requested it but been told they are too young. There is a real problem with women not being trusted to make decisions about their own bodies.” She added: “There is an argument that it is a riskier procedure than a vasectomy, but if a woman is given the right information to make an informed decision and that is what she wants, that should be respected. In terms of cost, multiple unintended pregnancies also carry a cost. …