In Re Conservatorship of Angela D.

J.Angela D., a conservatee, appeals from a probate court order approving the petition filed by respondents Robert D. and Donna D., Angela’s parents and coconservators, for an order authorizing the coconservators to give medical consent for Angela’s sterilization under Probate Code section 1950 et seq. Angela is a 20-year-old severely developmentally disabled woman, who additionally is subject to epileptic seizures and suffers from diabetes. Following a detailed review of the record, including statements from Angela’s doctors, and review of the legislative history and policy of the statutes under which the order was sought, we affirm.

Facts

In July 1996, Robert and Donna D. were appointed coconservators of the person and estate of their daughter, Angela. Their letters of conservatorship granted them authority to give consent to medical treatment for Angela, subject to the limitations stated in section 2356. In September 1997, the coconservators filed a petition seeking an order for sterilization of Angela who was then 19 years old. The petition stated that Angela “has been severely mentally retarded since birth; she is autistic, suffers from complex seizure disorders and…