There’s been a lot of information and resources shared since we had to process the Supreme Court's decision that shifted reproductive access for millions of us in this country. There's a lot of history that got us to this point, and in this session, we will take bite-size pieces to help us figure out how we got here and hopefully guide us and give us language to talk about how we can work together on what we can do moving forward.
To have this conversation, we need to get on the same page about the origins of a few things. First, we must understand Eugenics, what it even is, and its ties to what happening now. This is important because it will inform sessions we will have in the future as they will go into how a system was built out of this theory and how it's still spreading its influence even today. From the origins of eugenics, we will see how its definition of who is desirable and who isn’t lent to the enforcement of the asexualization act and the mass federally sanctioned forced sterilization of over 70,000 people and possibly tens of thousands more.
We will look at three supreme court cases that fundamentally shifted reproductive access for those deemed desirable versus undesirable. In Buck v. Bell, we will see where the legal side really took center stage in deciding who should and should not have children. In Relf v. Weinberger, we learn of Minnie and Mary Alice Relf, who thought they were getting birth control shots but were also sterilized and the 100k-150k more just like them. In Madrigal v. Quilligan, we will hear of how a doctor made choices for patients without ever talking to them about their choices. Three different groups all failed at the hands of the medical system that was supposed to help them.
This is a lot and will feel heavy. We cannot sit on the sidelines and wait for someone to come save us. We will arm ourselves with knowledge for the long fight ahead of us. There are a lot of resources for this session. Get through what you can, jump around if needed to the ones that hold your attention, and remember, you do not have to read all the resources to participate in the conversation.
Register in advance for this session:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpceurrDwqG9FNJPOJiklFpgpBCPb-OtAJ
What is Eugenics, and who were its original champions:
History of forced sterilizations and California’s Asexualization Act of 1909:
The Court Cases:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/07/469478098/the-supreme-court-ruling-that-led-to-70-000-forced-sterilizations (Buck v. Bell case)
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/supreme-court-and-sterilization-carrie-buck (Buck v. Bell case)
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/48-yrs-ago-minnie-and-her-mentally-disabled-sister-were-sterilized-without-their-knowledge-sparking-lawsuit-and-change (Relf v. Weinberger)
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/magazine/eugenics-movement-america.html (Relf v. Weinberger, longer read but highly recommended)
https://sfonline.barnard.edu/life-un-ltd-feminism-bioscience-race/mas-bebes-an-investigation-of-the-sterilization-of-mexican-american-women-at-los-angeles-county-usc-medical-center-during-the-1960s-and-70s/2/ (Madrigal v. Quilligan)
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/magazine/when-doctors-took-family-planning-into-their-own-hands.html (Madrigal v. Quilligan)
Additional Resources (OPTIONAL):