by Riya Doshi
The eugenics movement has impacted many aspects of American culture and legislation, especially in the medical field. Between the 1920s and 1970s, the nation’s medical providers carried out tens of thousands of forced sterilizations targeting women of color, disabled women, and low-income women. Such procedures continue to occur, demonstrating the need for a clear policy-based solution. To investigate this topic, I created a podcast centered around the following question: how do attitudes towards sterilization differ for Black and Latina women in the United States when compared to those of white women? The podcast provides a detailed history of forced hysterectomies in the United States, contrasting such procedures with the push for access to sterilization from white women.