They came to have their babies. They went home sterilized.

“No Más Bebés,” or “No More Babies,” is a series of intertwining stories, based on real events, that voice the despair of immigrant mothers who sued county doctors, the state, and the U.S government after they were pushed into sterilizations while giving birth at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center during the 1960s and 70s.

Like many students, I was unaware of events that took place in this film, but I am so glad I stumbled upon it and joined this discussion. Hearing the women in No Más Bebés talk about their fear, the problems entrenched in how involuntary sterilizations affected their lives, and their subsequent fight for reproductive justice was more than moving.

The most moving part of the film for me is the idea of the framework of reproductive justice, that a woman has a right to not have children if she chooses, or to have a child and raise that child in dignity.

No Más Bebés took me on a drive along the streets of Los Angeles in the late 1960s while surprising me with a collection of touching and tragic stories. Not only did this film inform me of the history and state of involuntary sterilization, but it also struck an inner chord within me, and I can’t help but leave the film feeling more sad than angry.

This digital collage compiles words and images used to reflect the touching personal experiences of women in the film.

References: http://www.nomasbebesmovie.com/film