Forced Sterilization in America

When you hear about forced sterilization, you usually think of a really dark, scary operation in the middle of a fascist country. I don’t mean to be racist in any way here, but I know for a fact that many people that I know think of China when they think of forced sterilization—where some women have been forced to have abortions (like in many other countries), but forced sterilization is not legal.

You don’t usually think of the United States, do you? But it turns out that more than 60,000 people were forcibly sterilized—often without even being notified—within this country throughout the past century.

One woman was told she was having an appendectomy—and instead her fallopian tubes were removed.

Many of the victims, like the woman in this article, may have even faced more health problems later in life due to complications from the sterilization. They also often attempt to have families for years, not knowing why they cannot get pregnant.

The reasoning behind these atrocious human rights violations is being attributed to states wanting to cut down on the amount of welfare money they spend on families.

How could this have even been a law in states like North Carolina, especially when victims were not even notified or asked permission prior to the procedure? I am all for sterilizing both women and men who want it done—I, in fact, have been denied the procedure, even though I’ve had one child and been told I would likely die if I have another, by doctors claiming that either their religion prohibited it, or that I was too young to make the decision—and wish more people would do it and perform it; but if the party doesn’t want it done—and doesn’t even know it’s being done!—then something is heinously wrong.

Victims were never compensated for this loss, which is also grotesque; I guess it’s because they’d have to admit what they did was monstrous. How could doctors have violated their Hippocratic oaths like this? (Well, we all know that many continue to violate that oath today, my own example being just one instance.) Today the state is “considering” providing the victims with paltry sums of money for freaking ruining their entire lives.

We each only get one life to live, one chance to have children, and though I’m an advocate of adopting, there is nothing in the world like having a child. Every woman who wants to have one should be afforded that right, and any government who steps in and tells her that she can’t—or doesn’t even tell her, but simply sterilizes her without her even knowing about it—is committing a sex crime in my book.

North Carolina, you should be freaking ashamed of your legislators—as should every other state who has carried out these same laws. You’re really giving Planned Parenthood hell these days when you allowed this s*** to happen? The irony is bitter and cruel.

And if you’re so worried about welfare money, then stop paying it to the majority of those who receive it through corporate welfare checks, such as businesses like Wal-Mart who obviously don’t need it at all.