diff --git a/conn.go b/conn.go
index 3ee067df..40df37c5 100644
--- a/conn.go
+++ b/conn.go
@@ -282,14 +282,9 @@ func (c *Conn) PrepareEx(ctx context.Context, name, sql string, opts *PrepareExO
 }
 
 // Deallocate released a prepared statement
-func (c *Conn) Deallocate(name string) error {
-	return c.deallocateContext(context.Background(), name)
-}
-
-// TODO - consider making this public
-func (c *Conn) deallocateContext(ctx context.Context, name string) (err error) {
+func (c *Conn) Deallocate(ctx context.Context, name string) error {
 	delete(c.preparedStatements, name)
-	_, err = c.pgConn.Exec(ctx, "deallocate "+quoteIdentifier(name)).ReadAll()
+	_, err := c.pgConn.Exec(ctx, "deallocate "+quoteIdentifier(name)).ReadAll()
 	return err
 }
 
diff --git a/conn_test.go b/conn_test.go
index ffeee1bf..93c4ad42 100644
--- a/conn_test.go
+++ b/conn_test.go
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ func TestPrepare(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Prepared statement did not return expected value: %v", s)
 	}
 
-	err = conn.Deallocate("test")
+	err = conn.Deallocate(context.Background(), "test")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("conn.Deallocate failed: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ func TestPrepare(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Prepared statement did not return expected value: %v", s)
 	}
 
-	err = conn.Deallocate("test")
+	err = conn.Deallocate(context.Background(), "test")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("conn.Deallocate failed: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ func TestPrepareEx(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Prepared statement did not return expected value: %v", s)
 	}
 
-	err = conn.Deallocate("test")
+	err = conn.Deallocate(context.Background(), "test")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("conn.Deallocate failed: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/stdlib/sql.go b/stdlib/sql.go
index eaf1caa7..cb4b5195 100644
--- a/stdlib/sql.go
+++ b/stdlib/sql.go
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ type Stmt struct {
 }
 
 func (s *Stmt) Close() error {
-	return s.conn.conn.Deallocate(s.ps.Name)
+	return s.conn.conn.Deallocate(context.Background(), s.ps.Name)
 }
 
 func (s *Stmt) NumInput() int {