Karen Collins was 37 when she woke up from what was supposed to be a routine appendectomy in 2018, only to discover her Richmond gynecologist had removed her only remaining ovary without her consent.
“I am just a statistic at this point,” Collins said. “They can’t put an ovary back in me.”
For years, the Caroline County woman has fought for new legislation in the Virginia General Assembly. Senate Bill 708, introduced by state Sen. Richard Stuart on Jan. 14, would require doctors to obtain both oral and written informed consent before performing hysterectomies or oophorectomies…