Those who were subjected to illegal sterilization without their informed consent between 1 July 1966 and 31 March 2012 would be eligible for compensation. According to the backgrounder explaining the bill, those eligible for compensation did not freely decide to undergo sterilization but were coerced into doing so under the threat of having their existing children taken away from them or their welfare benefits stopped.

If the law takes effect, those who suffered this treatment would have three years from the date on which it takes effect in which to file a claim. The applications would be assessed by the Czech Health Ministry.

The suspicions that Romani women were being forcibly sterilized in the Czech Republic were brought forward in the year 2004 by the European Roma Rights Centre. Dozens of women applied to the Public Defender of Rights (the ombudsman) and some also sued.

A similar bill was prepared in 2015 by then-Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD). The Government ultimately voted not to put that bill forward.

:roma