Bill S-228 on Forced Sterilization: NAWL presents its recommendations to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs

Anishinaabe Territory / Ottawa, April 13, 2026 – Amanda Therrien, Senior Staff Lawyer at the National Association of Women and the Law, appeared before the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs as part of its study of Bill S-228, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (sterilization procedures), to propose targeted amendments to strengthen the bill while avoiding unintended harms.

Bill S-228 aims to address the horrific and ongoing practice of forced and coerced sterilization in Canada by amending the Criminal Code. However, absent critical amendments, this bill could have unintended consequences for women and gender-diverse individuals while leaving the root causes of forced/coerced sterilization, including systemic racism, colonialism, and ableism in Canada’s health care system, intact.

NAWL’s proposed amendments ensure that the Criminal Code clearly denounces forced and coerced sterilization while making it explicit that nothing in the law should be used to restrict access to consensual permanent contraception or gender-affirming care. The brief also emphasizes that criminal law alone cannot solve this issue and calls for systemic, survivor-led solutions, including culturally safe care, stronger consent practices, professional accountability and reparations.

Read the brief: Bill S-228, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sterilization procedures)