In 2003, North Carolina became the third U.S. state to apologize
and the first to call for compensation to victims of state-ordered
sterilizations carried out between 1929 and 1975. The decision was
prompted largely by a series of articles in the
Winston-Salem
Journal. The stories were inspired in part by the meticulous
research of Johanna Schoen, who was granted unique access to the
papers of the North Carolina Eugenics Board and to summaries of the
case histories of nearly 7600 victims--men, women, and children as
young as ten years old--most of whom had been sterilized without
their consent. In 2011, a gubernatorial task force held public
hearings to gather testimony from the victims and their families
before recommending in early 2012 that each living victim be
granted $50,000 compensation. The restitution proposal requires
legislative approval before funds can be dispersed.
In this UNC Press Short, excerpted from
Choice and Coercion,
Schoen explains the legal construction of North Carolina's
sterilization program, which lasted far longer than similar
programs in other states, and demonstrates through the stories of
several women how the state was able to deny women who were poor,
uneducated, African American, or "promiscuous" reproductive
autonomy in multiple ways.
UNC Press Shorts excerpt compelling, shorter narratives from
selected best-selling books published by the University of North
Carolina Press and present them as engaging, quick reads. Presented
exclusively as e-books, these shorts present essential concepts,
defining moments, and concise introductions to topics. They are
intended to stir the imagination and courage exploration of the
original publications from which they are drawn.