We all kind of know our government isn’t perfect, right? That’s an understatement. America has its fair share of flaws, both past and present, and I feel like our society is too quick to forget some truly horrible things. If we don’t actively talk about history, we’re doomed to repeat it (or something like that), and if we only talk about the good parts of history, we as a society can never learn from our mistakes. That being said, I wanted to take a dive into the (unfortunately not so distant) past and share some twisted history of the United States that should not be forgotten so we never dare repeat it. I want to talk about the forced sterilization of women of color.
The Background
It’s not news to anyone that America has a troubled history of racism and xenophobia, and in the late 1800s into the early 1900s, eugenics was the newest product of this. Powerful, upper-class whites during this time saw the large influx of African Americans in Northern cities coming from the South as a threat to their way of life and took it upon themselves to “fix” it.
Under the guise of population control and being influenced by upper-class whites, many states at the time passed laws that legalized the sterilization of those deemed “unfit” to reproduce. As you likely expected, this was a way for the powerful to legally wreak terror among marginalized groups, specifically women of color.
The Manipulation
Imagine this: a woman of color goes to the doctor seeking healthcare, and instead of being given the facts (like a doctor should provide), she’s instead fed a bunch of lies about the benefits of sterilization. The whole movement thrived off of misinformation and deception. Often, these women would be given consent forms to prove it was voluntary, but these forms would be presented in a way that left women feeling pressured or coerced into signing over their reproductive rights. Additionally, many women would be coerced into taking birth control to regulate their reproduction, being manipulated to do so in similar ways.
A lot of the coercive methods thrived off the power dynamics at play. These women were already marginalized and vulnerable, facing discrimination and limited access to resources. When doctors, social workers, or state officials came knocking, they felt like they had no choice but to consent to whatever they were told.
Many of these women didn’t understand exactly what they were consenting to, and that was the purpose. Generations of Americans had their right to a family ripped away from them without even knowing it.
The Outcome
Beyond the significant numeric decrease in the populations of people of color, these eugenic practices had a multitude of consequences. The practice perpetuated systemic inequality and racism and tore communities apart, which led to a distrust in healthcare and government.
I don’t have enough space here to fully unpack all the details of this event, but I do want to leave you with a few things to remember:
- America has a troubled past, and it’s our responsibility to educate ourselves on events like this so we don’t repeat it.
- Women have had a long history of healthcare struggles in America, and the government has been impeding on women’s’ reproductive right for over 100 years now.
- Among the rich and powerful whites that facilitated this forced sterilization were Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Carnegie.
More
I encourage you to visit these sources and do some research on your own to understand the full story.