N.C. Forced Sterilization Victims Voice Grief, Pain

FoxNews.com ^ | 6/23/2011

[surroundedbyblue]

There is nothing the state of North Carolina can do, Elaine Riddick says, to make up for forcing her to be sterilized when she was 14 years old.

"They cut me open like I was a hog," the woman who now lives in Atlanta said at a Wednesday hearing in Raleigh held by a panel working to determine compensation for thousands of victims of the state's defunct eugenics program. "My heart bleeds every single day. I'm crushed. What can they do for me?"

Riddick, 57, was one of 13 people who spoke at the meeting, and one of nearly 3,000 living victims of the program, which was shuttered in 1977, three years after the last sterilization was performed. The public hearing is part of a process unprecedented not just in North Carolina, but nationally. About a half dozen other states have joined North Carolina in apologizing for past eugenics programs, but none of the others have put together a plan to compensate victims of involuntary sterilization.

"It's hard for me to accept or understand or even try to figure out why these kinds of atrocious acts could be carried out in this country," said Gov. Beverly Perdue, who appointed the Eugenics Task Force that convened Wednesday's hearing.

Any plan that involves financial compensation will be a hard sell, though, in a year when the state budget includes deep cuts to numerous programs. The General Assembly passed the $19.7 billion spending plan over Perdue's veto. Bills in the legislature aimed at providing specific financial and medical compensation for victims have stalled.

"We've made some baby steps, but as we get closer to the big one, there's some pushback," said state Rep. Larry Womble, D-Forsyth, the lawmaker who's been most active on the issue.

[dragonblustar]

"Therefore, I will leave it up to the taxpayers of North Carolina to decide if it weighs heavy enough on their conscience to decide if what, if any compensation is necessary."

Dude, that's sick.

[TheOldLady]

I’d have to go with the Soft Scrub again. It’s the best cleaner I’ve ever used, and the whole troll barbecue smells great after it’s cleaned.

[TheOldLady]

Indeed. The word “sociopath” kept coming to mind.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Thanks. I’ll remember that. :-)

[dragonblustar]

They are considering paying a small sum of money ($20K per person) to the victims who are still alive, nobody else. If the government took YOU and did this would you think you deserved to be compensated, or what YOU just say "Crap happens"?

I agree.

[trisham]

So how big of a check have you written the victims??? I imagine since you feel so strongly about it, you've poneyed up at least a couple grand. Or are you even a resident or taxpayer or North Carolina? You do realize that if this was the law of North Carolina for decades, a majority of state voters must have supported it or at least not felt strongly enough about it to appeal to their elected representatives to repeal it. Since we are are a Representative Republic, we "the people" are just as culpable as the government. Therefore, I will leave it up to the taxpayers of North Carolina to decide if it weighs heavy enough on their conscience to decide if what, if any compensation is necessary.

Hey, come to think of it, my fathers side of the family were Jews who left Poland in the early 1800's due to persecution, maybe I deserve a juicy payout. Paging a "Social Justice" lawyer.

***************************

I'm shocked at this post.

[TheOldLady]

Yes, that worked really well. He even got the ashes out from under my toenails.

[trisham]

There were/are two others on this thread who appear to be of the same mind.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Wow.

[dragonblustar]

Your "proposal" is to sterilize people. How is this any different from Obama's proposal to have death panels or NARAL's proposal to abort more children. Your "proposal" is categorically anti-life, it is IDENTICAL to what Margaret Sanger advocated for decades.

Right on!

What kind of person would ignore the torturous aspect of a forced sterilization on a child?

[luvie]

Blue ZOT....deadly! :)

[TheOldLady]

Yes, and they’ll slip up one of these days when the right person is listening to them.

I can’t imagine that they’re trying to convert any true conservatives to the pro-death side of the issue, so they’re just disruptor trolls.

[TheOldLady]

Hi sweetie. Yes, Jim got him, but flaming-blue good.

[trisham]

They’re angry and tired of the pretense. Quite a number are from 2008.

[TheOldLady]

[rabidralph]

I think you’d be wrong, newbie.

[trisham]

Read on, FRiend.

[surroundedbyblue]

Excuse me??

Don’t pull that newbie crap with me. Yes, I’ve only been FReeping for a year but I’m not stupid nor blind. I’ve seen quite a few pro-death trolls around here.

How insulting.

[DJ MacWoW]

One has to wonder about people like that. Was he serious? Are there really people that filled with hate and prejudice that believe they are really conservative?

[glock rocks]

My sister fell under that law in NC.

Wait, what? You mean they sterilized your sister for being epileptic? If that's the case, it's just awful.

Further, I'm astounded that no one had yet replied to your post...