Section 3440.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3440.
in effect(a)
Sterilization for the purpose of birth control, including, but not limited to, during labor and delivery, of an individual under the control of the department or a county and imprisoned in the state prison or a reentry facility, community correctional facility, county jail, or any other institution in which an individual is involuntarily confined or detained under a civil or criminal statute, is prohibited.
(b)
Sterilization of an individual under the control of the department or a county and imprisoned in the state prison or a reentry facility, community correctional facility, county jail, or any other institution in which an individual is involuntarily confined or detained under a civil or criminal statute, through
tubal ligation, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, salpingectomy, or any other means rendering an individual permanently incapable of reproducing, is prohibited except in either of the following circumstances:
(1)
The procedure is required for the immediate preservation of the individual’s life in an emergency medical situation.
(2)
The sterilizing procedure is medically necessary, as determined by contemporary standards of evidence-based medicine, to treat a diagnosed condition, and all of the following requirements are satisfied:
(A)
Less invasive measures to address the medical need are nonexistent, are refused by the individual, or are first attempted and deemed unsuccessful by the individual, in consultation with his or her medical provider.
(B)
A second
physician, independent of, and not employed by, but authorized to provide services to individuals in the custody of, and to receive payment for those services from, the department or county department overseeing the confinement of the individual, conducts an in-person consultation with the individual and confirms the need for a medical intervention resulting in sterilization to address the medical need.
(C)
Patient consent is obtained after the individual is made aware of the full and permanent impact the procedure will have on his or her reproductive capacity, that future medical treatment while under the control of the department or county will not be withheld should the individual refuse consent to the procedure, and the side effects of the procedure.
(c)
If a sterilization procedure is performed pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b), presterilization and
poststerilization psychological consultation and medical followup, including providing relevant hormone therapy to address surgical menopause, shall be made available to the individual sterilized while under the control of the department or the county.
(d)
(1)
The department shall, if a sterilization procedure is performed on one or more individuals under its control, annually publish on its Internet Web site data related to the number of sterilizations performed, disaggregated by race, age, medical justification, and method of sterilization.
(2)
(A)
Each county jail or other institution of confinement shall, if a sterilization procedure is performed on one or more individuals under its control, annually submit to the Board of State and Community Corrections data related to the number of sterilizations performed, disaggregated by race,
age, medical justification, and method of sterilization.
(B)
The Board of State and Community Corrections shall annually publish the data received pursuant to subparagraph (A) on its Internet Web site.
(e)
The department and all county jails or other institutions of confinement shall provide notification to all individuals under their custody and to all employees who are involved in providing health care services of their rights and responsibilities under this section.
(f)
An employee of the department or of a county jail or other institution of confinement who reports the sterilization of an individual performed in violation of this section is entitled to the protection available under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 6129, or under the California Whistleblower Protection Act
(Article 3 (commencing with Section 8547) of Chapter 6.5 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code) or the Whistleblower Protection Act (Article 10 (commencing with Section 9149.20) of Chapter 1.5 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Government Code).
References
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 8547.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 9149.20.
referencesCal. Penal Code - PEN § 6129.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026