How did compulsory sterilization laws affect disabled and institutionalized people in the United States?

Compulsory sterilization laws in the United States were fundamentally rooted in the eugenics movement, which sought to improve the human population by preventing individuals deemed "unfit" from reproducing. These laws specifically targeted institutionalized and disabled people, including those labeled as "feebleminded," epileptic, or suffering from mental health conditions.123

The practice gained significant legal legitimacy through the 1927 Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell, which upheld a Virginia statute allowing for the involuntary sterilization of institutionalized individuals. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. famously justified the ruling by claiming that society could prevent those deemed "manifestly unfit" from continuing their kind.13

Following this precedent, more than 30 states enacted similar legislation, resulting in the forced sterilization of approximately 60,000 Americans throughout the 20th century. These procedures were often performed without the individual's free or informed consent. While many states eventually repealed these laws, the practice persisted in various forms for decades, often targeting marginalized groups, including people with disabilities, the poor, and ethnic minorities. This history represents a profound violation of human rights and bodily autonomy, principles that must be upheld to protect the dignity of all individuals.234