Abstract

Regulating desirability: Immigration and sterilization in California's state eugenics law, 1920-1945

Juan Gudino, MPH¹, Marie Kaniecki, MPH², Alexandra Stern, PhD², Natalie Lira, PhD³ and Nicole Novak, PhD, MSc⁴
(1)University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, (2)University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, (3)University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, Urbana, IL, (4)University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA

APHA 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo

BACKGROUND: Between 1909 to 1979, approximately 20,000 Californians were sterilized under California’s state eugenics law to prevent the reproduction of those deemed unfit. Eugenics was linked to nativist thinking that constructed people from outside northern Europe as less fit. Literature suggests Latinx Californians were disproportionately sterilized compared to non-Latinx individuals. We compare demographic and social characteristics between immigrant and US-born people who were sterilized in California and hypothesize that region of birth is a proxy for individuals who may have been vulnerable to sterilization.

METHODS: We analyzed 20,085 forms recommending institutionalized patients for sterilization between 1920 and 1945, categorizing immigrants into Northwestern, Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe; Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We used Poisson regression with a random effect for each patient’s institution of residence to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and compare sterilization rates between US-born individuals and non-native immigrants.

RESULTS: Our findings showcase that 21% of people sterilized were non-native immigrants. Over 40% of immigrants did not provide documented consent to sterilization compared to 16% of US-born individuals. In comparison to US-born women, women from Mexico (IRR: 1.87; 95% confidence interval = 1.33, 2.66) and Southern Europe (IRR: 2.16; 95% confidence interval = 1.51, 3.12) were more likely to be sterilized.

SIGNIFICANCE: Narratives surrounding innate inferiority regarding immigrant populations are able to be analyzed through the lens of social policies––understanding the history of biological determinism is an important backdrop to contemporary issues with ethical, legal, and social implications.

Ethics, professional and legal requirements Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines Social and behavioral sciences