Forced and Involuntary Sterilization of Those With Disabilities

Sterilization of those with intellectual disability: Evolution from non-consensual interventions to strict safeguards 

When teachers talk about the disability rights movement and its timeline, an important topic is the forced and involuntary sterilization of those with disabilities in the United States and the world. The forced sterilization of those with disabilities began in the late nineteenth century before the first law was passed in 1907 in Indiana. Sterilization is a surgery that results in the patient being unable to have children. The problem with forced sterilization is the patient is unable to give consent to what is happening. When these procedures occurred, the patient often did not know the result, and the doctors and nurses would deliberately lie to them to make sure they were unaware of what was going on. The forced sterilization of those with disabilities occurred because many people believed that they were a danger to society, and their solution was to make sure they could not reproduce. According to a report from the National Women’s Law Center: 31 states have laws that allow the forced sterilization of people with disabilities, and 17 states have laws that authorize forced sterilization of children with disabilities. Additionally, only three states have laws prohibiting forced sterilization of children with disabilities. 

Teachers must talk about these moments in history because it is often never mentioned in history classes. As history teachers, the goal is to teach students about important events in history; this includes events that are not talked about often, including the disability rights movement. Teachers prepare students to take part in society, and one of the responsibilities includes making them aware of the injustices surrounding them. Teaching the forced sterilization of those with disabilities is a hard topic to talk about, but there are different ways to approach teaching this. One thing teachers can implement is the use of including personal accounts of people forced to undergo these treatments. When bringing in personal narratives, students learn and gain a true understanding of what went on from a survivor’s standpoint. Additionally, teachers should not try to simplify the topic. Often, teachers will gloss over challenging events in history, thinking that their students can not handle it, but by doing this, teachers are doing a disservice to their students. Students should be aware of the injustices from the past and the present. Instead of underestimating students, before beginning a lesson, notify students that there will be a discussion on uncomfortable topics. If it ever gets too much, students can step out of the classroom for a few minutes. These topics may not be something that students learned about; however, when taught, students may gain a new perspective and learn something new along the way. Overall, the forced sterilization of people with disabilities is such an important topic to talk about in history but is often overlooked. Teachers should try to make an effort to talk about such an important event in history because it is still an ongoing issue today.