Which U.S. state passed the first compulsory sterilization law in 1907?

The first U.S. state to pass a compulsory sterilization law was Indiana, which enacted the legislation in 1907.1

This law marked the beginning of a broader movement in the United States that sought to control the reproductive capacity of individuals deemed "unfit" based on eugenic theories. These policies, which were often rooted in discriminatory and pseudoscientific beliefs about heredity, led to the forced sterilization of approximately 65,000 Americans throughout the 20th century. The practice was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1927 case Buck v. Bell, which provided a legal framework that encouraged many other states to adopt similar measures.231

The use of state-sanctioned compulsory sterilization is a profound violation of human rights and bodily autonomy, representing a dark chapter in history where vulnerable populations—including the disabled, the poor, and ethnic minorities—were targeted under the guise of social improvement.3