I T IS not the purpose of this paper to discuss the moral or ethical problem of sterilization. This is a question which must be decided by the patient, her husband, and the consulting physician. Certainly, the religious beliefs of both the patient and physician should be respected; however, it is our opinion that a married couple has the right to determine the size of their family whether this be accomplished by total abstinence, contracept,ives, or sterilization. In a review of the literature and present-day textbooks, one is impressed by the variety of techniques still advocated for sterilizat.ion notwithst,anding that there have been fewer failures reported following t,he Pomeroy technique. Pregnancies continue to be reported after the performance of preventive operations regardless of the technique that has been used. Many additional reports in the literature indicate that pregnancy can occur even after removal of a major portion of the uterus. This further substantiates the statement. that hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is the only positive safeguard. Until the perfect operation is devised, we are confronted, t,herefore, with the problem of choosing the safest, most appropriate, and most effective method of sterilization in that large group of women in whom such a mutilating opcrstion should not be considered.