Eugenics, Forced Sterilizations and Civil Rights: Addressing the Recent Whistle-Blower Case

Untold Stories: The Cases That Shaped the Civil Rights Movement

I am interrupting my normally scheduled series to bring a special episode that focuses on the history of Eugenics, forced sterilization, and civil rights. I had to respond to the recent Whistleblower complaint lodged by Dawn Wooten, a nurse who worked in ICE detention centers. She has alleged that a doctor sterilized the women in the detention centers without their consent and/or knowledge. Sadly, forced sterilization is nothing new. In this episode I briefly look at the history of eugenics, its role in the forced sterilization of people, the Supreme court case that allowed for forced sterilizations (Buck v. Bell (1927)), and the black sisters who won a case to curtail this (Relf v. Weinberger (1973)).