Surreptitious sterilizations: an endangering process
Rao, M.
Health for the Millions 23(4): 26-28
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0970-8685 PMID: 12321222 Document Number: 270375
Quinacrine is a synthetic antimalarial used to treat malaria during the 1930s and 1940s until it was replaced with better drugs such as chloroquine. When quinacrine pellets are introduced via the cervix into the fundus of the uterus during the early proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle, local inflammation results, followed by the development of scar tissue which leads to tubal occlusion and irreversible, nonsurgical sterilization in women. The method was developed in Chile in the 1970s. The most common schedule involves the insertion of 7 pellets of 36 milligrams each either once or twice using a modified copper T IUD inserter. Sterilization using quinacrine requires neither anesthesia nor trained personnel and can be performed in areas with no access to health facilities. Trials of sterilization with quinacrine are being conducted by nongovernmental organizations and private doctors in a range of places in India. Other trials have been conducted in 15 countries, including Chile, Indonesia, Vietnam, and all countries in South Asia. The author discusses the potential for abuse of the method, global trials, concern and resistance, trials in India, and the issues at stake.