bare basic hospital unit with three beds

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History of Forced Sterilization in the United States

When we think of the term “genocide,” we think of Hitler and his 1930s-1940s eugenics campaign, but the part that is not taught in schools is that Hitler was inspired by none other than the practice of forced sterilization in the United States. 

a bare hospital unit with empty beds  and the words "history of forced sterilization in the United States (The U.S. inspired Hitler)" above it

What Are Eugenics?

The term “eugenics” refers to a study of method of reproductive selection meant to improve qualities that are considered “desirable.” It was developed by a Sir Francis Galton, a Victorian-era anthropologist. This “study” has since been debunked for the racist trash it is.

The eugenics movement in the United States began in the 1800s and continued through the 20th century, including federal funding in over 30 states. This movement disproportionately targeted minorities and people with disabilities by overly diagnosing people as “feebleminded,” using this excuse as a reason to sterilize someone against their will. They held a belief that “feebleminded” people would birth children dependent on government assistance, which was enough to get civilians to agree to the practice. 

What Did the Supreme Court Say About Forced Sterilization?

Forced sterilization in the United States was protected by a Supreme Court decision in 1927, Buck vs. Bell, where the Supreme Court determined that it was legally appropriate to sterilize inmates and people who lived in institutions, no matter why they were there. Only one Justice dissented.

It was so common among Black women in the 1960s that many referred to it as a “Mississippi appendectomy.” Many of these women received permanent sterilizations by medical students as practice, not even by licensed doctors. Fannie Lou Hamer became an outspoken Civil Rights Activists after her own Mississippi appendectomy. A children’s book

A case in 1942, Skinner vs. Oklahoma, was ruled by the Supreme Court to determine the right to procreate was covered as a human right. 

In 2020, news broke of forced sterilizations of immigrant women who were detained at the United States southern border, and millions were rightly horrified. But a study from California revealed that even though the California eugenics laws were repealed in 1979, permanent sterilization without the consent of the patient was occurring on United States citizens even as recently as 2013, and the doctors received money from the states for participating in the procedure. California is now forced to pay restitution up to $25,000 per victim as of 2021. 

Buck vs Bell has not been overturned. 

An illustration of activist Fannie Lou Hamer

Voice of Freedom Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford

Content warning: I adore everything Carole Boston Weatherford has written, but be forewarned she did include another character calling Ms. Hamer the full n-word in this book. I skipped over it when I read it aloud to my children.

Walk With Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer by Kate Clifford Larson

a black and white photo of Fannie Lou Hamer speaking. Under the photo says "Walk with Me: A biography of Fannie Lou Hamer"

Better For All the World: The Secret History of Forced Sterilization and America’s Quest for Racial Purity by Harry Bruinius

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