Quote :

"Victims of NC forced sterilization program tell their stories Raleigh, N.C. — Several victims of North Carolina's nearly five-decade-long forced sterilization program testified Wednesday to a board deciding how to compensate people whose ability to have children was taken away from them in the name of improving society. Nearly 3,000 of the roughly 7,600 North Carolinians sterilized between 1929 and 1975 are still alive. The Eugenics Task Force is considering whether they should be given money or other types of assistance. Elaine Riddick said she was sterilized in 1968 at age 13, a year after being raped by a neighbor and giving birth. "They cut me open like I was a hog," a sobbing Riddick said. "My body was too young for what they did." Other victims said they were lied to about the purpose of the surgery. Mary Frances Smith-English said a physician laughed at her when she told him she was getting married and wanted the procedure reversed. Her doctors told her a few years earlier that the procedure was a way for her not to worry about birth control, she said. "When you go through something like that, you don't get over it," Smith-English said. Charles Holt wept quietly as Melissa Hyatt, a woman who adopted him as her father, related his sterilization experience. Holt was institutionalized at the Murdoch Developmental Center in Butner as a teen and was told he could get out and return home if he underwent a surgery. "Charles has the ability to be a great father, but that ability was taken away from him at an early age," Hyatt said, adding that the experience led to Holt's drinking problem. Thirty-three states adopted eugenics programs in the early 1900s out of a belief that humanity could evolve and society be improved by breeding out undesirable characteristics. Most states and other countries abandoned such efforts after World War II because of similarities with Nazi Germany's programs for racial purity. North Carolina's eugenics program expanded, however, with sterilizations peaking in the 1950s and early 1960s. Rationalization ranged from protecting the potential offspring of mentally disabled parents to improving the overall health and intellectual competence of the human race. North Carolina had the most open-ended law in the country, allowing doctors and social workers to refer people living at home to the state Eugenics Board for possible sterilization. In other states, people had to be either institutionalized or jailed before they could be sterilized. Most of the victims were mental health patients, prisoners, poor or people the state deemed to be promiscuous. Roughly 85 percent were women or girls, some as young as 10. Gov. Beverly Perdue sat through part of the meeting, saying she was proud of the courage the victims displayed in telling their stories. "It's hard for me to accept, to understand, to even figure out how these atrocious acts could be carried out in this country," Perdue said. "This is not a good day for us, to hear the stories. It's not a happy day for North Carolina." At least seven states have offered formal apologies for involuntary sterilizations, including North Carolina in 2001. So far, only North Carolina has set up a process to compensate individual victims. It remains to be determined whether the state's compensation will extend to family members or individuals sterilized by local health departments or private hospitals that were not part of the state program. Some of those who testified Wednesday said the $20,000 compensation that has been proposed isn't enough. They suggested free health care to make up for the years of physical and mental health problems they have suffered. Others said the state should erect a memorial to the victims to educate the public about the sterilization program. "What do you think I'm worth?" Riddick asked task force members. "It doesn't matter what you think I'm worth. It's what I think I'm worth." Hyatt compared the sterilization victims to Darryl Hunt, a former inmate who received a $1 million settlement after being wrongly convicted of rape. "These victims are living out life-term sentences, not 16 or 17 years," she said. "We thank North Carolina for the apology, but it's not enough," said Australia Clay, whose late mother was sterilized in 1965 after being admitted to Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro for postpartum depression. "We thank you for the $20,000, but it's not enough. You're going to have to dig deeper," Clay said. The task force hopes to make some recommendations to Perdue by Aug. 1. Anyone who couldn't testify Wednesday can provide information to the task force by visiting its website or calling its toll-free hotline at 877-550-6013 before July 7."

http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/9761898/


discuss

6/22/2011 6:55:18 PM

I think it's a horrible violation for that to happen. But in 2011 given the fiscal situation they should just take the $20,000

6/22/2011 6:56:48 PM

6/22/2011 6:57:09 PM

I heard about this today on Here and Now, maybe? That is beatup!

6/22/2011 6:58:24 PM

i think they should perform way more forced sterilizations and take kids from the fuckers on welfare and wic and give them to anybody who bitches about it

6/22/2011 6:59:03 PM

6/22/2011 7:00:01 PM

i hate lazy worthless trash no matter what color it is

6/22/2011 7:00:46 PM

i mean, they've already saved hundreds of thousands on not having to pay for children (food, clothes, college, etc.)

6/22/2011 7:00:48 PM

Is this going on still? I have some people I'd like to nominate for it

6/22/2011 7:09:27 PM

We learned about this last fall. It's extremely fucked up. Some of these people were sterilized based on what their parents had done ("it can run in families") or, like the article said, just because their family was poor. Didn't matter if the kid was a good student and had a bright future.

6/22/2011 7:11:13 PM

Ugh, I get pulled in by the article comments every time.

I always end up being like "OKAY I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING" then stabbing myself to keep me from commenting. It's an endless cycle of dumbassery.

6/22/2011 7:11:54 PM

sickening.
disgusting.
tragic.

6/22/2011 7:14:01 PM

perhaps these folks are doing so well now b/c of the sterilization

6/22/2011 7:17:02 PM

Quote :

"i hate lazy worthless trash no matter what color it is"

Yeah man, rape victims and people with post-partum depression sure are deadbeats.

Some of you people make me fucking sick.

6/22/2011 7:17:31 PM

i did not call any of these people trash. i was simply responding to the "that's racist" statement.

6/22/2011 7:19:52 PM

NeuseRvrRat the TWW Fisherman shows his true colors.

6/22/2011 7:20:16 PM

I think many people would disagree with forced sterilization if they themselves were sterilized after experiencing a bout of depression

I mean, c'mon.

6/22/2011 7:20:32 PM

this is no possible way to play devils advocate with this

6/22/2011 7:21:41 PM

I think what NeuseRvrRat is trying to say is that we need to kill people he deems worthless.

6/22/2011 7:21:58 PM

exactly

6/22/2011 7:22:53 PM

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis would you recommend she be sterilized?

If so, Beethoven would have never been born.

6/22/2011 7:25:31 PM

i saw this a week or so ago

its really messed up. i mean. i feel like the right to procreate is kind of a fundamental one.

and i feel like people saying shit like this:

Quote :

"i think they should perform way more forced sterilizations and take kids from the fuckers on welfare and wic and give them to anybody who bitches about it"

are the people that are usually crying "LESS GOVERNMENT LESS GOVERNMENT"

i mean. all people on welfare and WIC are clearly bad parents. and no rich or well off families abuse their kids.

[Edited on June 22, 2011 at 7:26 PM. Reason : .]

6/22/2011 7:25:59 PM

calm down of course i don't think forced sterilization is a good idea. you should be able to breed as often as you wish. i just don't think i should have to pay to feed and educate your offspring.

6/22/2011 7:26:21 PM

Only if she didn't have a job.



So 9.1% of the population must now be sterilized.

6/22/2011 7:26:33 PM

Is this a joke?

6/22/2011 7:27:24 PM

Even though I will see many a horrible parent in my career, I would never, ever, EVER suggest any type of sterilization be invoked.


Reproductive freedom can never have exceptions...

[Edited on June 22, 2011 at 7:28 PM. Reason : for those who want to read up on it: http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/list2.pl]

6/22/2011 7:27:48 PM

Quote :

"i just don't think i should have to pay to feed and educate your offspring."

well while we're on the topic. you're doing a shitty job paying for education

because NC sucks at education

step it up, k thanks

6/22/2011 7:28:34 PM

Quote :

"i just don't think i should have to pay to feed and educate your offspring."

I'm not a fan of paying for wars that I don't agree with

but I realize that taxes are a bit like the give a little, take a little coin tray at gas stations

[Edited on June 22, 2011 at 7:43 PM. Reason : clarification]

6/22/2011 7:30:00 PM

I think the advent of the abortion era has put an undue influence on the gene pool at an unprecedented level in human history, swaying the amount of talent and intelligence that could be brought into this country to solve problems and make life better for all of us. I don't think we'll ever really know what we've lost because that human capital can't be quantified.

Nobody likes to talk about this issue because they like to pretend it's complicated and too controversial, but it's really just common sense.

And for all you black democrats, most of the abortions are of black children.

6/22/2011 7:30:27 PM

I don't think I should have to pay taxes on money I earn.

6/22/2011 7:31:01 PM

well i declare!

6/22/2011 7:31:48 PM

i don't think i should have to pay taxes when i earn it and when i spend it

and then pay yearly taxes on some of things i buy with it just because i own it

so what i'm saying is, i agree with leon. consumption tax ftw.

6/22/2011 7:33:44 PM

[Edited on June 22, 2011 at 7:34 PM. Reason : LOL BONED THAT ONE]

6/22/2011 7:34:00 PM

NeuseRvrRat is pretty fat in his pictures, i vote to sterilize him. I don't want to pay for his fat children.

6/22/2011 7:47:13 PM

^ lol

6/22/2011 7:47:45 PM

and god damn i hope he doesn't have farmers in his family, because i'm tired of subsidizing those lazy fucks. sterilize them too.

6/22/2011 7:49:24 PM

Quote :

"this is no possible way to play devils advocate with this"

I'll bite. When eugenics programs were first instated, very little was known about the true causes of psychosis, depression, etc. So at the time it made scientific sense to sterilize people who exhibited these traits or had families that did. Sterilizing poor people also fell into the category of good social science of the time. We're always going to look back 50 years and go "wtf were people thinking back then." I wonder what will be the historical outrage of 2060.

6/22/2011 7:57:23 PM

too bad the Duggar family didn't live in NC during this time

6/22/2011 7:59:36 PM

are they not supporting their family? or do you just hate them because the have different beliefs than you?

6/22/2011 8:00:40 PM

because their show sucks

6/22/2011 8:03:29 PM

Quote :

"I wonder what will be the historical outrage of 2060."

i hope it is in vitro fertilization and abortion being spun as moral opposite processes when they are kind of really similar

i mean that probably makes me a bitch but i am tired of that being ok because it is an attempt to create a life

and abortion being MORALLY WRONG because it is ending a life

what i really mean here is "LIFE"

i mean when you in vitro you still have like a shitload of little dudes or dudettes floating around in a freezer somewhere. and you can donate them to research. i mean i'm down with that but i hate the moral brigade being all hypocritical up in people's reproductive lives. i mean it is fine to donate my extra embryos to research after trying to create a life via in vitro but its not fine if i have an embryo invading my uterus that i do not want there and opt to have it removed. disposing an embryo seems like disposing an embryo to me but apparently one method is morally superior to the other because the embryo was disposed of while trying to make a baby. when babies already exist that need homes (but that is another rant altogether)

/RANT



[Edited on June 22, 2011 at 8:08 PM. Reason : .]

6/22/2011 8:06:13 PM

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ You mean like Lamarckism?


[+5 rare word and obsolete science reference]

6/22/2011 8:07:50 PM

or pro-life people supporting the death penalty

or anyone supporting the death penalty

6/22/2011 8:08:44 PM

Quote :

"or pro-life people supporting the death penalty or anyone supporting the death penalty"

this too.

but then people are like "oh but you are pro choice and anti death penalty that is not compatible"

but to me an embryo is not a person to me. i guess that makes me a hypocrite.

6/22/2011 8:10:12 PM

Quote :

"If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis would you recommend she be sterilized? If so, Beethoven would have never been born. "

We have too many musicians as it is, but all of Beethoven's siblings sure sounded like winners.

6/22/2011 8:27:06 PM

I don't listen to beethoven, so in essence, he never existed to me.

6/22/2011 9:05:53 PM

Quote :

"We thank North Carolina for the apology, but it's not enough," said Australia Clay, whose late mother was sterilized in 1965 after being admitted to Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro for postpartum depression. "We thank you for the $20,000, but it's not enough. You're going to have to dig deeper," Clay said. "

Jesus Fucking Christ, they are giving money to the children too?

I say more eugenics for all politicians

6/22/2011 9:12:15 PM

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, in an incestuous relationship, had three previous children die from disease, and lived in an abusive household, would you recommend she be sterilized?

If so, Hitler would have never been born.

6/22/2011 9:12:39 PM

Quote :

""We thank North Carolina for the apology, but it's not enough," said Australia Clay, whose late mother was sterilized in 1965 after being admitted to Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro for postpartum depression."

WAIT--- SHE HAD KIDS!!!

6/22/2011 9:15:06 PM

what LK said

6/22/2011 9:28:45 PM