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Title 42

Displaying title 42, up to date as of 6/16/2026. Title 42 was last amended 6/16/2026.
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§ 441.251 Definitions.

As used in this subpart:

Hysterectomy means a medical procedure or operation for the purpose of removing the uterus.

Institutionalized individual means an individual who is

(a) involuntarily confined or detained, under a civil or criminal statute, in a correctional or rehabilitative facility, including a mental hospital or other facility for the care and treatment of mental illness; or

(b) confined, under a voluntary commitment, in a mental hospital or other facility for the care and treatment of mental illness.

Mentally incompetent individual means an individual who has been declared mentally incompetent by a Federal, State, or local court of competent jurisdiction for any purpose, unless the individual has been declared competent for purposes which include the ability to consent to sterilization.

Sterilization means any medical procedure, treatment, or operation for the purpose of rendering an individual permanently incapable of reproducing.