Virginia wives were bound by their husbands
Married women in the Commonwealth did not always have the right to make medical decisions about their bodies. According to Business Insider, once upon a time, in states like Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, wives had to have their husband’s consent to obtain a tubal ligation.
This was the law until the late 1970s when women began challenging the ruling in court. Our Daily Life reveals there are some exceptions regarding women having their tubes tied.
Some private hospitals still have policies against performing the medical procedure without the signed consent of both spouses. Publicly owned hospitals are not legally allowed to maintain such a policy.