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  • Relf Sisters Sterilization-Ebony-10-73

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    Ebony magazine’s coverage in 1973 of the recent involuntary sterilization of two African American sisters over their ostensible sexual profligacy.

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    Relf Sisters Sterilization—Ebony—10-73

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    Ebony magazine’s coverage in 1973 of the recent involuntary sterilization of two African American sisters over their ostensible sexual profligacy.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    208 views6 pages

    Relf Sisters Sterilization-Ebony-10-73

    Uploaded by

    DonDiegoVega
    Ebony magazine’s coverage in 1973 of the recent involuntary sterilization of two African American sisters over their ostensible sexual profligacy.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 6
    SCIENCE PROVES AFRICA IS BIRTHPLACE OF MAN STERILIZATION: Newest Thieat To The\Poor =» 12 Below ie Jong Levin, tory for Ral fly TIS gery stent erie and eel kind of death in the land of equal eppor: tunity. Last June saaspeeting | morning in Montgomery, All, two young black girls were wheeled into.a hospital operat ing room and rendered sexually sterile by tubal ligation eca where ia their ‘neigh 1 block, 90 orites sai, “boys were hanging sround” Later it was learned that the gis and their parents were on welfare and that their wel: fare status had some direct connection with the steriizations. Four months have passed since that Junc morning, yet itis stil dificult to compreliend fully the enarmity of what actually happened to those young girls—diffcult to digest the news of other sterilization eases reported in the nation, or the latest 10964 mere than one thousand American won ‘x, most of them black and all of them poor, have been forced to submit to involuntary evelations that since 150 sterilization. It i diffcult even to understand ‘what auch a crime supposes itself to be say fing, what presumes elf to be wantin what circumstances ‘would permit #t or what it portends. Here are a few detail On June 15, two representatives of the federally Geaaced Montgomery Comunity Action Agency called on Mrs. Minnie Rel, an iterate welfare mother of four, to tell her that her two youngest daughters, Mary Alice, 14, and Mimie Lee, 12. needed some shots. Agency official, incidentally, have claimed Minnie Lee Relf is n tally thet young aided.) The nature of the shots, accord to Mrs. Relf, scemed to be uncertain; bet, be liewing that the agency had the best interests of her daughter health in mind. Mrs. Relf cod subsequently signed an formed conseut release. “I pot an X on a pe per” she said later. And, armed with that “XC the ich operates a family planning Sterilization: Newes inc seo federally supported, afected ts ovm version of populetion control—stemsbly be- ‘cause of those “boys (After the Relf case came to light, it was dis- covered that for the past 15 months, federally sponsored birth contr clinies around the na mn have stcrlined at least 80 ether minors) In July, at a crowded press conference in New York City, Nial Ruth Cox, an angry, ua- wed black mother, accampanied by her lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), revealed that eight years easier, ‘when she was pregnant with her only child, she too had been forced to undergo permancat terization in New Bera, N. C. Miss Cox ‘who is 26 years old, had agreed tothe steriliza- tion, she said, because she had been told it would be a temporary messure and ako be- cause she had been warned that if she did not baer family would cease to recive wel fare payments. After a New York doctor re- cently told her she could never have another hreat to the Poor yucam How to Help Stop Involuntary Sterilization ‘medical care from federal Programs. f hibited by federal regulation. No pissin or ny represenative of welfare agevey or fam iy planning clinic can legally eves aogaent tha your wellore check wil be topped wales You Ieree to your own or Jour dls steriaaton TF you are 1 wellre recipient, or i you bpeene yous have recenthy been subjected te forced sterization orto any suaseston of sack tm operation, contact I) Southern Poverty Law Genter, BO. Box 348, Montgomery, Ala, ‘30108, (205) 2541413: or 2) American Civil Liertcs Union, Womens Rights Project, 2 Ease 40th Steet, New York, NY. 10010, (212) 735-1992. (Ora loc ACLU afiate,) Both of these organizations wil be able to help you, ‘without any com to Youre only if vou give ‘hem pr ume nd the psi deta our New federal guidelines issued by the De- partment of Health, Education and, Wellare it iavolomtarysteiraions of enor {Ind meatal Incompetent reeling heath care {ram organisations financially supported by the fcceral goverment, event ametdne the Socal Security Act prohibit soar sterikon Lone of adute who recive medical care fom ederily sponcored gripe Basicall: there. sre tro. forms of female sterilization: I) tubal ligation im. which the {ules which carey the egg from the ovary int the womb ave tied and then euts3) hysteree: tomy im which the whole of the womb i re- moved. Tubal ligation i the most common form of female sterlizatin,” sage Dr’ Stephen Mat scone, acting verter of te ohatetreegymern ‘cr department at Harlem Hospital in New York. “Hissterectomies are less common and tesually dene when woran has a dested womb,” he 595. eaated i pic hosing I arly meme Mar Alive, Ma denehace, Togeonad Kay, oh Deposprovera Through Southern Powery Law Cooter Montcr- 0 the Rel fond sing HEW tty fee $5 milion fa danas eating at New York Guy offices of American Cri tee dnt, Nil oth Coe (below) pla ext ve Sin which rctmmcrded lw Gov sree sere Ss eh ge og le ew Gy er er child, Miss Cox, an alert intelligent wor by almost anyone's standards, learned th the physician who rendered her sterile justified the ope mentally deficient.” Referring tote operation during an snterview, Miss Cox told feel like half a woman, No man w: ad mm by declaring her to be Woman, A man is going to look for someone who can give him a child. T don’t even look A few days following that press confe cence, Mrs, Carol Brown, a 30-year-old, pre t mother of four near Aiken, S.C, became publicly outraged at her own hapless stuatio On the welfare rolls since February when her Ihusband began serving a prison term for grand larceny, Mrs. Brown, who i white, was duc to have her fifth baby son. Contacting the three physicians in town, she was told that ‘none of them could deliver her child waless she fit agreed to he sterilized Tt soemed that Mr Brovn, as a welfare mother of more than three Continued or Hest Pos 151 ad et fe st aise poh peee sa ss ea ees a So STERILIZATION costinves children, had more babies than any of the doctor could comcionably allow the overbur dened state taxpayers to support TER the details of those three eases were revealed, news of other strilizations were discloved in the same states as well asin Tos, Florida and California. Twenty-six states car rently have eugenie sterilization statutes, but the state which appears to be the most thor ‘ough and most determined in its pursuit of sterilization is North Carolina. Since 1435, the state of North Carolina throush its Eagenies Comm of sterilizations ordered thousands the mame of ‘the public good,” says Mrs June Stallings, executive sveretary of the commission, Dering the past nine years, L107 sterilization ordered by the commission. In fopceations were approved from 116 pet presented the oor this year, 13 steriizations were approved from 32 petitions. Although the Engenicx Commission has de lined to reveal the racial breakdowns of the umber of sterilization sutherized since 1964 Brenda Feigen Fastesu, the ACLU attorney ‘who represents Nial Ruth Cox, says: "As fara can detemnine, the statistics reveal that since 1964 approximately 65 per cent of the women sterilized in North Carolina wore black and ‘approximately 35 por cent were white” But one doesnt need to know too much about involuntary sterilization ia North Cazo- Tina to detect that racism is invelved-and be yon n, some unspeakable with to ‘control black popalation growth by forec. ("T think i has finally penetrated the white min that poople of color outnumber the white peo- ple of the world” declares Bruce Hilton, a noted medical ethics specialist and director of the National Center for Bio-Ethies to detect the racism, one doesn't need to know too much about forced sterilizations in the Tn fact, 152 other states. In Alabama, for example than 50 per cont of the favoluntary sterile tions authorized this past year by the State Health Department were performed on black people. And in Aiken, S.C, black women were subjects of 16 of the 1S sterlizations paid for by Medicaid and performed by a Dr. Clovis Hi. Pretec, a white, 40-year-old former Anny physician. (Incidentally, medical payments t0 Dr. Pierce have totaled $60,000 in the past 15. months, according to Aiken County Hospital core) Tn Lese and Society Review: (August 1968), Jolius Pau, of the Walter Reed Army Institut of Research, cted the growing use of punitive sterilization measures. He wrote “Numerous [state] legislative attempts have included sterilization as part of a progra recommended ude the los of welfare benefit, the ment and/or fining of the mother, the loss of custody of the children, and various combina tioas of the above. The arguments in favor of these propo ae the Hsing cost of welfare services), or ‘moral unitive action that may. im rouched in economic terms terms (the alarming rise inthe rate of il macy, especially among Negroes). and sone times covertly or overtly on racial grounds RCM toweve. atthe only pasion sa rounding the sterilization scandal. In ad tion to colormand apparently greed, other national themes compound the issue. AS Jul Paul suggests, hatred of the poor—black and whitewis certainly a leimotiv. ("At least ates have considered or are considering legie Iation welfare to submit to sterilization” says Stan LaMont, a spokeswoman for the Women's Na tional Abortion Action Coalition.) Moreover, as others have suggested. sexism, or hatred of women, may ako be involved. ("Have you oss any women sterilizing other worn ly?” asks Broce Hilton.) “The ster declares feminist Cloria Steinem, ntion ixeue affect all of ux bt expe Cally women, and especially minority women, The government thinks it wot only has the right to tap our phones but to interfere in all areas of our personal lives, including governing our very bodies” ‘Yet the sterilization scandal scems to expose something riore elemental ancl snore subterran- ean than hatred of women, or even hatred of tunwed mothers. For, at some subconscious level concealed beneath a plethora of fabr: cated justifications about family planning and welfare cheating, hatred of sex may also be T dont think we can ignare the puritan overtones surrounding forced sterilization, Hilton *‘Sex is had or so the pur tan will tll you. And when you are a puritan nether person's says Brace you can justify stepping in life and forcing him to do what you think is right, because he, after alls sinning.” Further more: “The whole paternalism thing in the South might ako be involved. I think i is true that otherwise decent, God.fearing charch-geing people still fecl that God has given them the black man a a responsibility. And that kind of paternalism says that if th ‘woman iat smart enough to stop having chi ren, then sti my responsibility to help her. After all” he adde, “the most horrendour crimes are dove in the name of doing good for somebody ese.” BUT what set of recent or circumstances could have allowed such 2 crime to take place? Dr. Arlene P. Bennett suggests that Amer ican genetics dogma fs self the precedent Not long ago, shortly after the hysteria about izenetic sereening for sickle cell anemia swept teross the country. Dr. Bennett pubic school physician in Elizabeth, N. J, became alarmed at the implications involved in svch sereening ese 134 SIT IT eae «worth looking into! Ce one! rie vic N oe Rt prieriety oR rng PEON UU ee meee Prt Cae G11] ik cea TUE a aa aie first [2 Spleen a manufacturer on Ce eens root Perper wets Linco Pc pen eran ee ) sPeeED QUEEN (@)] aMcGrew-Edison Company Di an ‘WoNEA DLO a a coat i (CATEER in ACCOUNTING! EN WOMEN mors EARN MONEY, SELLI 14 STERILIZATION continues Suspecting that the hysteria way creat serlizaions for sickle cell wou about to do a Ktle research into the history of euigente sleniliza- tions in Amerie As carly a¢ 1897," Dr, Bennett writes in an unpublished article, * 1 Pileher castrated 4 boys and 1 girs at a Kamas Institation for the hn 1947, « Dr, Hany © Sharpe boasted of ascetomized between 600 an 700 lewhere in. Americal rnentally i or VD, p ’L papers—all conditions believed to be pilepties, tl ed with T nthe tine interview, Dr. Bennett will tell you: “l also discovered the early’ part of the century, striations. were into sickle cella Any phenomena politicized genetic dogma has ul abortions, therapeutic abortions and steriizations. us, the elimate which pe wneria's Bist recorded, astration ofthe "genetically unfit” in 1897 Ted, link by to the sterization of two Alabaana black gles fn 19 tly Ie to thohts about INGE the disclosure of the Alabama ease (avd the North and South Carolina cases), nothing much has changed, however Senator Edward Kermedly has held a Senate subcommittee hearing cm the issue, Six federal and state investigations are now belng ‘onclucted, including two by the U, 8. Justice Departinent and the Otfice of Keonomle Opportinity, And new federal guidelines for Lidlding sterilization without informed consent have been issued by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Yet for all ‘ofthe offical sound anal fury, invluntary stoilizations will prob: ably continue, since the subcommittee hearings and the present STATES AUTHORIZING STERILIZATION (As of February 1971) Mihi Suie_—_| ete | er Epi |e ams " ram x x oa x x Geoeateat x x x x x x x x x x io x x ine x Metin x x iat x Neate : Nevllintie |X : Nace | x : Otome x x : Owen x x x Soakeantin | x x sont alata x uh x x x Xeon x x x x x onion der of Ths Gey estates La eae art Keep up with the Jones. faire. Pee saan erent ete Fe aan Cee sore Cee rate pene cn reer) peer Peverinc ieiea aar orate ma pierre re Lenn een Sen aan ped investigations are mercly fact-finding efforts. and the new guide- lines are, as an HEW spokesman confesses. impotent directives without any “police” powers. “Until we adequately police them, says Dr. Cad Shultz director of HEWs office of population af fairs, “the guidelines aren't going to be fully effective.” Which is, it seems, the United States Governments ays of saying that oor and al of those people luckless enough to have beer labeled ‘mentally defective” still have no rights which any physician need At the moment, the only recourse secs to be a Tawauit, On behalf of Nial Ruth Cor, the ACLU 4 suing the North Carolina Euigenies Commission and others for $1 million in damages. And through the Southern Poverty Lav Center. the Relf family in Alabama has fled a suit agninst OEO and HEW for $5 million a suit which, in addition in damage seeks dan uncertiged birth control drug, Depo-provera, on the Relfs oldest daughter, Katy, 17 in the meantime, most observers have overlooked « tragic irony to the entire fue of inveluntary sel s for the cline’s use of an experimental, federally fan. Far if centr black population grovth is one ofthe ruling motives behind such sterilization, it should be noted thet in recent years bith roter even among poor women “have—volurtarily

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