Anonymous v. Anonymous (Ala. 1985)

In Anonymous v. Anonymous, 469 So. 2d 588 (Ala. 1985), the Supreme Court of Alabama addressed whether parents could obtain court authorization to sterilize their minor daughter, who was fourteen years old and had significant intellectual disabilities. The parents argued that sterilization was necessary to prevent pregnancy, which they believed would endanger her health and well-being. The trial court granted their petition, finding the procedure to be in the child’s best interest. Guardians appointed to represent the minor appealed, challenging the court’s authority to approve such an operation. The Alabama Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision, holding that no statute or common-law principle conferred jurisdiction to permit the nonconsensual sterilization of an incompetent minor. The ruling denied the parents’ petition and established that such procedures require explicit legislative authorization before a court may consider them.