In the past, both state governments and hospitals often required spousal consent for voluntary sterilization. However, in the 1970s a number of women challenged these requirements in court and generally prevailed. According to the book "Fit to Be Tied" by Rebecca M. Kluchin, courts found in favor of the women in most of these cases. In the case of Ponter vs. Ponter, the New Jersey Superior Court ruled that women had the constitutional right to seek a tubal ligation without spousal consent. Federal courts have ruled state spousal consent laws unconstitutional, but the United States Supreme Court has never ruled on this issue, so it cannot be considered completely resolved.