Current Department regulations for the Medicaid and Public Health Service programs provide that no Federal funds are available for hysterectomies unless the woman or her representative has signed an acknowledgment that she was informed that the operation would make her sterile. These amended rules would eliminate the "acknowledgment requirement" in certain situations where the patient is already sterile or an emergency situation exists. We will also clarifying certain ambiguities. The purpose of the proposed regulations is to remove an unnecessary administrative burden created by the current requirements.