Sterilization VS. Women of Color

Imagine dreaming to one day become a parent but being blinded into being sterilized, impacting your chance to have kids of your own. Many people around the United States had their dreams ruined or their chance to become parents taken away from them. Sterilization laws disproportionately affected and targeted women of color and low income communities across the United States. These laws took away women’s reproductive rights and dishonestly had women agree to procedures. Contraceptives were also forced upon women of color despite the risk. These ideas were supported and influenced by white colonialism that wanted to prevent those at the lower class level and people of color from reproducing. This allowed the support of social hierarchies that were implemented to keep the elite and government in power. In the following, I will discuss how these laws were not created to look after people’s health but instead created to support racial and social hierarchies meant to target people of color at the lower class level. 

To begin, we will discuss the impact sterilization laws had on Latinos in California. In the 1900’s, California implemented Sterilization Laws which disproportionately targeted Latinos in order to prevent Latinos from having kids and further migration. In the following article, “ Disproportionate Sterilization of Latinos Under California’s Eugenic Sterilization Program, 1920-1945 ”(2025) by Nicole Novak, she discusses how through research she concluded that this Sterilization program disproportionately affected Latinx communities. The article states, “ Using gender-stratified Poisson regression, we found that Latino men were at 23% greater risk of sterilization than were non-Latino men,…Anti-Latina/o bias in sterilization was greater among women, with Latinas at 59% greater risk of sterilization than nonLatinas.” (Novak) Based on the research they made the statistical results were that Latino men and women had a greater risk of sterilization. This proves that out of all other race groups, Latinos were the ones being targeted based on the higher risk of sterilization found. Furthermore in the article, it states “ In California, eugenics programs were linked to efforts to reduce immigration, particularly from Mexico, during a time when growing antiMexican sentiment manifested in school segregation and racial housing covenants.” Sterilization laws targeted and impacted Latinos more than other racial groups. According to the research done, their findings found that in order to gain control over immigration they resulted in sterilization. If they could not reproduce then the amount of future generations migrating would ultimately be less. Their reproductive rights were being stripped from them and being masked by laws. Overall, there was a higher percentage of Latinos at risk and links to anti Mexican ideas causing a disproportionate amount of sterilizations.

Next, we will discuss the impact contraceptives had on black women. History proves that the health system discriminated against and mistreated black women. In “ Killing the Black Body:Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty ”(1999) by Dorothy Roberts it talks about how Black women were forced into taking contraception otherwise they would not receive welfare. The reading states, “A number of these bills would pressure women on welfare to use the device either by offering them a financial bonus or by requiring implantation as a condition of receiving benefits.”(Roberts, pg 120) This was a form of blackmail and manipulation that acted as a way to prevent black women from reproducing. Imagine having to decide between your rights as a woman and your responsibility to take care of your family. Living with the guilt that if you choose yourself, your family would suffer. In addition, the reading states “But when you start asking the government to take care of them, the government ought to have some control over you.”(Roberts,pg118) Forcing contraception onto black women was a way of the government having control over black communities. This control was gained through the uprise in black communities relying on welfare therefore giving the government more leverage. This shows that in order to keep power within the elites and away from lower class people, the government manipulates women into getting on birth control in order to receive financial help. Altogether, black women suffered when making a choice to have their rights or receive help to help their families.

California had very strong Eugenic Sterilization laws that affected so many incarcerated women by sterilizing them without consent. A journal article, “ For Survivors of Forced Sterilization in California Prisons, a Rushed Shot at Justice ”(2024) by Victoria Valenzuela it talks about the Sterilization laws that affected prisoners and later had a chance for compensation but also faced more injustice.The journal states, “ California’s shameful history of involuntarily sterilizing people goes back to the early 1900s, when about 20,000 Californians were forcibly sterilized in state-run facilities, mostly mental institutions, from 1909 to 1963 to rid society of people labeled “feeble-minded’ or ‘defectives’.”(Valenzuela)  This journal was based on research found based on prisoners sterilized. They found that many prisoners were wrongfully sterilized without the reassurance that they were mentally capable of approving. Despite their wrongdoings, they are still human and deserve to have protection over their bodies. Furthermore the article states, “ California was such a leader in eugenics that historians say the Nazis sought the state’s advice for their own sterilization program in the 1930s.”( Valenzuela) Nazis targeted Jews as history has proven, so for them to ask California advice it meant that California must have been purposely targeting people of color with the laws implemented. This is also sad to hear because this means it was happening all over the world. In general, many prisoners were stripped from their rights which targeted those in the lower social class level.

Lastly, we will discuss the reproductive experience of Native American women. Native American women were also targeted by the United States white supremist health system. In a book, “Conquest : Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide”(2005) by Andrea Smith, in chapter 4 she discusses the impact colonialism had on the rights of Native American women. The book states, “ One woman informed Dr.Uri that she was advised to be sterilized for headaches. ‘The doctor told the women her head hurt because she was scared of becoming pregnant, and advised sterilization.’”(Smith,pg83) Women were being lied to and dishonestly advised to be sterilized. It was wrong for doctors to lie to patients and create such a big impact that could not be reversed. In the book it also states, “One woman attempting to get it removed told her doctor, ‘ I’m dying, please help me get it out.’ Her doctor responded ‘OK, when you die inform us, we’ll get it out of your dead body.”( Smith,pg93) It is extremely wrong and sickening to hear the experiences Native American women had in the health system. The side effects of birth control is something most of the world is aware of, having many negative effects. So for a doctor to dismiss a patient suffering from those negative side effects is sickening just because she was Native American. In sum, Native American suffered a violation of reproductive rights despite reaching out for help from doctors who were meant to look after them.

In conclusion, Sterilization laws were not created to look after the public’s health but instead created to support racial and social hierarchies meant to target people of color at the lower class level. We discussed how laws and programs targeted different race groups to prevent reproduction and keep control over those in the lower class level. Their intentions were never good or equal but rather unjust, using their power to keep those below at the bottom to maintain social control and elite power. This was proven through various sources used showing the constant targeting of people of color.

Works Cited

Novak, Nicole L., PhD., et al. Disproportionate Sterilization of Latinos Under California’s Eugenic Sterilization Program, 1920-1945. American Journal of Public Health 108.5 (2018): 611-3. ProQuest. Web. 3 May 2025.

Roberts, Dorothy E. Killing the Black Body : Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty. First Vintage books edition. New York: Vintage Books, 1999. Print.

Valenzuela, Victoria. For Survivors of Forced Sterilization in California Prisons, a Rushed Shot at Justice. BoltsMag. 24 Dec 2024.