This session discussed efforts to confront the legacies of eugenics in several states, and the possibility of extending them to other jurisdictions. In North Carolina, racial justice and disability rights advocates have helped bring significant public and policy attention to that state's program of eugenic sterilization, but the state legislature recently declined to approve compensatory payments to victims who are still alive. In California, efforts are getting underway to address the Golden State's history as a hotbed of eugenics advocacy. California sponsored the largest number of eugenic sterilizations in the country, and coerced sterilizations continued to occur in country hospitals and other venues after the state program dwindled.
Documents Related to This Session