ESASHI, Hokkaido -- Birth control was only proposed "as an option" at group homes for residents with intellectual disabilities and residents agreed to it themselves, according to the director of the social welfare corporation that operates the homes.
Asunaro Social Welfare Service Corp. is under fire for requiring the residents of its facilities to practice birth control if they want to get married or live with a partner. Director Hidetoshi Higuchi defended his organization's actions at a press conference Monday, but welfare experts and people in the industry said the policy did not demonstrate care for the facilities' residents.
