Eugenics is an ugly part of American history that was taught to our children (See: Hunter’s Civic Biology ) - a movement that caused the compulsory sterilization laws in 30 U.S. states that resulted in more than 60,000 sterilizations of disabled.
Compulsory sterilization was initially targeted to the clinically insane, institutionalized (unable to care for themselves) retarded persons, prison inmates and sex offenders. Women were routinely victimized in institutions and pregnancy from rape wasn’t uncommon. Unfortunately, California was one of the first to move that parents could order sterilization for ‘unruly children’. Most of those unruly, of course, being females. 96% of California’s forced sterilizations were white women and men so it would be hard to label it racist in California’s case, and more in line with sexist and the treatment of women in general as chattel property, with the word of a husband or father being the only evidence needed to institutionalize a woman for ‘hysteria.’
On the other hand, just a few years ago NC passed a law to compensate victims of their forced sterilization program which was in effect until 1974.