It Never Stopped: The Continued Violation of Forced, Coerced, and Involuntary Sterilization

From the Buggery laws of 1533, to the hundreds of years of medical experiments taking advantage of already historically oppressed communities throughout the world, to the current anti-Trans laws and policies that are bombarding the nation today, reproductive autonomy has long been treated as a privilege as opposed to an inalienable right. The notion of reproductive freedom should be uncompromisable but it has not been fully realized due to the fostering and the legitimizing of coercive systems that keep marginalized communities oppressed, perpetuate violations to a person's body, and that prevent individuals from asserting themselves as the experts of their lives. While self-declaration, reproductive autonomy, and clear informed consent should always be the highest standard, we continue to see that these basic human rights are simply not afforded to all. This paper explores the history of coerced, forced, and involuntary sterilization, globally and in the United States, as a means of population control through criminalized punishment, "cures" to gynecological issues, and the gatekeeping of bodily autonomy, with a call to attention on how this practice has and continues to impact persons of color, the poor, and the LGBTQIA+ community. The authors of this paper aim to shift the oppressive standards that currently exist towards self-declaration, reproductive and sexual autonomy, and self-advocacy as a means to combat the harm of coerced sterilization and its intentional practice in medicine and policies. The clinical considerations provided intend to challenge the reader to examine their own actions as a possible "conspirator" to the passive eugenic practices that lead to sterilization by default, as outlined by the authors.