FAQ.
Commonly asked questions and requests for information.
General Queries
- Can you help me with an issue related to reproductive justice, crisis, or advocacy?
- Unfortunately, we are not able to assist victims of sterilization or offer counsel on cases of reproductive injustice. Instead, please refer to the resources on our website.
- Unfortunately, we are not able to assist victims of sterilization or offer counsel on cases of reproductive injustice. Instead, please refer to the resources on our website.
California Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program
- What was the California Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program?
- In 2021, California passed a sterilization reparations bill that compensated survivors of eugenic sterilization from 1909 to 1979 and survivors of involuntary sterilizations in women’s prisons after 1979.
- In 2021, California passed a sterilization reparations bill that compensated survivors of eugenic sterilization from 1909 to 1979 and survivors of involuntary sterilizations in women’s prisons after 1979.
- I have a question related to the California Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program.
- While our research lab maintained a database of patient sterilization records in California, we did not directly work with the California Compensation Board in contacting or working with survivors. For any queries about the California Compensation Program, we recommend reaching out to the Compensation Board directly at [email protected]. Claims for compensation are no longer open for submission to the California Victims’ Compensation Board.
For cases of involuntary sterilization post-1979 in women’s prisons, there are several organizations that could provide information and support to survivors and their families. This includes the California Coalition for Women’s Prisoners ([email protected]), which was one of the member organizations that helped pass the compensation legislation and was working to support implementation of the program.
- While our research lab maintained a database of patient sterilization records in California, we did not directly work with the California Compensation Board in contacting or working with survivors. For any queries about the California Compensation Program, we recommend reaching out to the Compensation Board directly at [email protected]. Claims for compensation are no longer open for submission to the California Victims’ Compensation Board.
Research Queries
The SSJL is currently inactive and does not employ regular staff. We are not able to respond to any requests, research queries, interviews, or collaboration opportunities at this time.
Research and Collaboration Disclaimer
The SSJL does not give out any contact or identifying information of sterilization survivors. Access to datasets and research are currently restricted in the interest of responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information. Furthermore, each state has their own set of privacy and protection laws for archived medical records that we follow. Many of the records our research examined can be found at state archives, which are listed on our website under our Resources Page.
We ask that you acknowledge the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab, relevant archives, and, if applicable, individual lab member(s) you worked with when you use our research. Any statistics, figures, or tables that we provided should also be attributed to the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab.
The SSJL does not give out any contact or identifying information of sterilization survivors. Access to datasets and research are currently restricted in the interest of responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information. Furthermore, each state has their own set of privacy and protection laws for archived medical records that we follow. Many of the records our research examined can be found at state archives, which are listed on our website under our Resources Page.
We ask that you acknowledge the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab, relevant archives, and, if applicable, individual lab member(s) you worked with when you use our research. Any statistics, figures, or tables that we provided should also be attributed to the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab.
- What years did your records cover?
- Our research on eugenic sterilization primarily covered the 1920s to the 1950s.
- Our research on eugenic sterilization primarily covered the 1920s to the 1950s.
- What archives does your research use?
- Our research drew from a wide selection of archival collections and historical records. The sterilization records in California, for example, can be viewed at the California State Archives in Sacramento and are available on microfilm.
- Our research drew from a wide selection of archival collections and historical records. The sterilization records in California, for example, can be viewed at the California State Archives in Sacramento and are available on microfilm.
Accessing Records
- Can I request access to records or datasets from your research?
- The SSJL is currently inactive and does not employ regular staff. We are not able to provide access to our records or datasets.
- Can you look up a specific record or person for me?
- We are not currently able to pull records or conduct research.
- We are not currently able to pull records or conduct research.
- Can you put me in contact with survivors?
- Our policy is to not give out any contact or identifying information of sterilization survivors. Instead, for survivor perspectives and stories, we recommend the following: for documentaries, No Más Bebes; Belly of the Beast; Wicked Silence; Amá; and A Whisper Past; the article “‘You Just Feel Like Nothing’: California to Pay Sterilization Victims,” Amanda Morris; the podcast Bad Blood; and the monographs The Cloak of Competence, Robert B. Edgarton; Eugenic Nation, Alexandra Minna Stern; and Laboratory of Deficiency, Natalie Lira; and Reproduction on the Reservation, Brianna Theobald.
- Our policy is to not give out any contact or identifying information of sterilization survivors. Instead, for survivor perspectives and stories, we recommend the following: for documentaries, No Más Bebes; Belly of the Beast; Wicked Silence; Amá; and A Whisper Past; the article “‘You Just Feel Like Nothing’: California to Pay Sterilization Victims,” Amanda Morris; the podcast Bad Blood; and the monographs The Cloak of Competence, Robert B. Edgarton; Eugenic Nation, Alexandra Minna Stern; and Laboratory of Deficiency, Natalie Lira; and Reproduction on the Reservation, Brianna Theobald.
