America’s Eugenics Roots: The Painful History of Forced Sterilization

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Nov 13

Written By Comma

Forced Sterilization: A Historical Practice with Contemporary Relevance

The history of reproductive health in the United States is deeply intertwined with systems of control, discrimination, and inequality. Among the most egregious examples is the practice of forced sterilization—a violation of bodily autonomy carried out in the name of “public health” and social progress. Though often discussed as a relic of the past, forced sterilization continues to surface in modern contexts, revealing how the logic of eugenics still informs healthcare and policy today.

Eugenics

The forced sterilization of women in America has a long and painful history rooted in eugenics—the belief that only those with “favorable” traits should reproduce. This ideology was used to justify involuntary sterilization, segregation, and the exclusion of marginalized groups. Furthermore, in the early to mid-20th century, eugenic practices were not a fringe belief system championed solely by fringe extremists.

In 1927, the Supreme Court upheld states’ rights to forcibly sterilize anyone deemed “unfit to procreate” in Buck v. Bell, a case centered on Carrie Buck, a young woman Virginia labeled “feebleminded” alongside her mother—judged not on medical evidence but on judgement of her behavior. While in foster care, Carrie was raped by her foster family’s nephew, and instead of recognizing her as a victim, authorities used the resulting pregnancy as proof of her supposed “feeblemindedness,” committing her to the same institution as her mother. Despite her protests, the Court ruled in favor of her sterilization. Even Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood’s founder, endorsed the Court’s ruling, demonstrating that eugenic practices were framed as a form of reproductive healthcare at the time. This decision paved the way for more than 70,000 Americans—many of them poor, disabled, immigrants, or racial minorities—to be sterilized against their will.

Although support for eugenic sterilization declined after World War II, the practice persisted under new forms of coercion—again disproportionately targeting women of color. In the South, thousands of Black women were subjected to what became known as the “Mississippi appendectomy”—a euphemism for involuntary sterilization performed without their knowledge or consent, often under the false pretense of other surgeries. This practice continued into the late 1970s, stripping countless women of their reproductive autonomy and dignity.

At the same time in Los Angeles, Mexican American women (many whose primary language was Spanish) were coerced into sterilization immediately after childbirth—often while medicated, in labor, or unable to read the English consent forms they were pressured to sign. Doctors were exploiting women’s pain, often withholding pain medication until they signed papers many of them could not understand. This systemic abuse reflected a broader effort to control and reduce the birth rates of marginalized communities.

This history is not just distant—it is deeply harmful and continues to echo today. Forced and coerced sterilizations have not disappeared entirely, reminding us why reproductive autonomy and informed consent must remain at the center of ethical healthcare.

Contemporary Use in Prisons

Despite sounding barbaric and outdated, forced sterilization remains a contemporary practice—reflecting the troubling continuity of reproductive injustice. For example, in California between 2006 and 2010, an audit found at least 144 incarcerated women underwent sterilization while in state prison custody; in 39 of these cases, necessary consent procedures proved legally deficient or missing entirely. The absence of informed consent in these scenarios is illegal, immoral, and dehumanizing, stripping the individuals in these prisons of their autonomy and humanity. This practice simultaneously reinforces the dangerous and deeply problematic notion that childbirth is a privilege reserved for those deemed “worthy” by societal or institutional standards—perpetuating classist, racist, and ableist ideas about who is fit to reproduce.

Contemporary Use in Immigration Detention Centers

In 2020, a whistleblower exposed the forced sterilization procedures on immigrant women at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, echoing long-standing patterns of reproductive injustice. The nurse who came forward described a disturbing lack of informed consent and mutual understanding before forced hysterectomies and other unwarranted gynecological procedures were performed. Once again, we are confronted with eugenic beliefs about who is deemed “deserving” of reproduction—shaped by race, poverty, and immigration status.

The Future Matters

Discrimination exists at the core of U.S. medicine, as demonstrated by the American medical system’s historical and contemporary practice of wielding nonconsensual medical practices against women and other marginalized communities. Although eugenic practices may seem like a vestige of the past, its insidious roots have continued to shape modern medical institutions and policies. The persistence of coerced sterilizations in prisons and immigration detention centers reveals how deeply entrenched ideas of racial and social “fitness” remain in the nation’s collective consciousness. Only by confronting this legacy and ensuring informed consent and equitable access to care for all can we begin to dismantle the structures that have long dictated whose bodies are controlled and whose choices are respected.