Unemployed mother of 9 suing over unlawful sterilization

An unemployed mother of nine children- ranging in age from 21 to 3- is suing a hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts for sterilizing her without her consent.

Tessa Savicki, 35, claims the hospital was merely supposed to implant an IUD (an intrauterine device, a reversible form of birth control) following the Dec. 19, 2006 birth of her youngest child, Manuel. Savicki’s lawyer claims his client’s rights were violated and that hospital protocol was breached. Savicki says she has suffered “mental anguish” after learning she would no longer be able to bear children:

“There was no medical reason for them to do this,” Savicki told the Herald. “That’s my choice. This is my body. I wanted the IUD so later if I felt I wanted more children, I could have more.”

Savicki’s lawyer shared a document with the Boston Herald indicating that Baystate Medical Center, the hospital where Savicki was sterilized, has been unable to provide the medical records proving the woman consented to a tubal ligation. Savicki admits that her situation is not likely to be improved by the addition of more children- her parents currently care for three of her brood, two are no longer minors and the remaining four are in Savicki’s care. Still, she insists that reproductive freedom shouldn’t be denied, regardless of circumstances:

“I would never have the right to tell anyone else ‘because you have this many kids that’s enough,’ ” she said. “That’s no one’s right to say that. It’s my choice. No one has the right to say you’ve had enough.

“I take care of my kids. I love my kids. I was not ready to make that kind of decision,” she said of the permanent sterilization.

Interestingly, this is not Savicki’s first suit over reproductive issues. She previously sued CVS and settled after becoming pregnant following the use of expired spermicide. I’m curious to see how abortion rights groups will treat this case- it seems Savicki’s reproductive freedom has been curbed, but is it worthy of their outrage, too?