CHAPTER 691

An Act to amend and reenact § 37-231, as amended, of the Code of Vir-
ginia, relating to the sexual sterilization of certain mentally ill, men-
tally deficient and epileptic persons, and to amend the Code by adding
a section numbered § 37-231.1 relating to the same matters. 5 9

[ 5]

Approved April 7, 1952

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 37-231, as amended, of the Code of Virginia be amended and
reenacted, and that the Code be amended by adding a section numbered
§ 37-231.1, as follows: ,

§ 37-231.—Whenever the Superintendent of the Western State Hospi-
tal, or of the Eastern State Hospital, or of the Southwestern State Hospi-
tal, or of the Central State Hospital, or of the Lynchburg State Colony,
or of the Petersburg State Colony, shall be of opinion that it is for the
best interests of the patient and of society that any inmate of the institu-
tion under his care should be sexually sterilized, such superintendent is
hereby authorized to perform, or cause to be performed by some capable
physician or surgeon, the operation of sterilization on any such * inmate
afflicted with hereditary forms of mental illness that are recurrent, men-
tal deficiency or epilepsy; provided that such superintendent shall have
first complied with the requirements of this chapter.

§ 37-231.1. For the purposes of this chapter the term “inmate” shall
include any person, male or female, who has been duly committed to and
admitted to any of the institutions named in the foregoing section, re-
gardless of whether such person is confined within any such institution
or furloughed therefrom for purposes incident to any hearing provided for
under this chapter.