The PA Minister of Social Affairs, Kamal Sharafi, issued a memo to all departments and centers affiliated with the ministry demanding that they stop giving hysterectomies to women with disabilities, or women in mental institutions!

This is all being done without permission or informed consent from the patients.

Not all of the women are mentally ill – but their families are forcing them to have these procedures to preserve “family honor!” The practice was discovered in 2011

A Palestinian researcher at Birzeit University uncovered a scandal and crime against humanity in which Palestinian families in the West Bank force their daughters to undergo “uterine surgery” (hysterectomy). The girls are mostly said to have mental disabilities, the hospitals are administrated by the Palestinian National Authority (“PNA”). The surgeries are performed after these families are talked by doctors and religious authorities into fearing that their daughters can be raped, become pregnant or be unable to care about themselves during the period due to their (supposed) mental disability.

A Palestinian psychologist revealed that there currently are 50 cases of girls in the West Bank which are still on the waiting list for these operations for their daughters.

…Dr. Breget told a story of a girl from Nablus in the northern West Bank who underwent hysterectomy, pointing out that the girl cried and begged her mother at the moment of entering the operating room not to do it to her. The doctor confirmed, adding: “These operations are done in government hospitals”, he wondered, saying: “who is responsible for that?”.

In the same context, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Anan Al Masri, covered up the crimes since the hysterectomy operation are made at the hospitals of the government and the medical teams involved in the crimes are covered by his ministry. Mr. Al Masri denied that hysterectomies are done at PNA hospitals, he said that “the Ministry of Health did not approve the conduct of these operations”, pointing out that the Ministry “does not conduct these surgeries in its hospitals, whether public or private, and that the Ministry will prosecute any doctor who has conducted these operations because this work is far from humanity and the laws”.

According to our sources, there is a group of doctors working at the PA hospitals who are bound together by private interests for a net of (“Fat Cats”), several staff of the Palestinian National Authority who take money for covering these crimes. The doctors are conducting these and other operations for a high price, which goes directly into the pockets of these “fat cats”. All these operations are deleted from the hospital computers. Some of the doctor makes the operations in their own clinic, at home, in complete disregard for their duty as doctors and the dignity of the patients.

In connection with the hysterectomies it must be noted that the issues of sexual abuse and incest are widespread in the Palestinian territories and within families, schools, and institution in the cities, villages and the government institutions. In such a morass, forced hysterectomies of young girls and women who are accused of having “mental problems” are more than convenient to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the shame they would bring. All these crimes are banned from public discussion and publication in the media. In all cases, these crimes are treated in a way that will cover up the perpetrators, protecting and helping them to continue perpetrating more crimes, and by punishing the victims (women, minors, girls) or killing them in so-called “honor” killings, and forcing disabled or mentally ill (real or adduced) girls to undergo hysterectomy operations. This has the added “benefit” of income for the perpetrators and the facilitators, who wear expensive suites and ties and work at PA institutions.

I can’t be sure how widespread this problem is, but it seems to be much larger than just “doctors performing hysterectomies” – it is honor-sterilization!