FAQ.
Commonly asked questions, requests for information, etc.
General Queries
- Can you help me with an issue related to reproductive justice, crisis, or advocacy?
- Unfortunately, we are not able to provide assistance to victims of sterilization or offer counsel on cases of reproductive injustice. Instead, we have listed a few resources on our website that survivors can reach out to and receive help.
National Hotlines
Crisis Text Line is a free confidential text message service for people in crisis. Text HOME to 741741.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224
- Unfortunately, we are not able to provide assistance to victims of sterilization or offer counsel on cases of reproductive injustice. Instead, we have listed a few resources on our website that survivors can reach out to and receive help.
California Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program
- What is the California Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program?
- In 2021, California passed a sterilization reparations bill that compensates survivors of eugenic sterilization from 1909 to 1979 and survivors of involuntary sterilizations in women’s prisons after 1979. People involuntarily sterilized in California state mental health institutions and prisons may be eligible for monetary compensation up to approximately $25,000. A number of different documents can be used to verify claims: A letter or medical form recommending sterilization, copies of surgical consent forms, any records from a court or an institution which show when sterilization was performed, a sworn statement by the survivor or another person with personal, firsthand knowledge of the sterilization and how the survivor was harmed by it.
The Social Justice and Sterilization Lab does not handle these claims. Claims for compensation are open for submission to the California Victims’ Compensation Board, and will be available until 2024.
- In 2021, California passed a sterilization reparations bill that compensates survivors of eugenic sterilization from 1909 to 1979 and survivors of involuntary sterilizations in women’s prisons after 1979. People involuntarily sterilized in California state mental health institutions and prisons may be eligible for monetary compensation up to approximately $25,000. A number of different documents can be used to verify claims: A letter or medical form recommending sterilization, copies of surgical consent forms, any records from a court or an institution which show when sterilization was performed, a sworn statement by the survivor or another person with personal, firsthand knowledge of the sterilization and how the survivor was harmed by it.
- I have a question related to the California Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program.
- While our research lab maintains a database of patient sterilization records in California, we do 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 FISCP@victims.ca.gov.
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 (comp4reprojustice@gmail.com), which was one of the member organizations that helped pass the compensation legislation and is now working to support implementation of the program.
- While our research lab maintains a database of patient sterilization records in California, we do 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 FISCP@victims.ca.gov.
Research Queries
Research and Collaboration Disclaimer
Our policy is to not give out any contact information or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though the Lab is open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of balancing responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information with open communication of important historical knowledge, we limit the types of data and records that can be accessed by the general public. Furthermore, each state has their own set of privacy and protection laws for archived medical records that we must follow. Many of the records our research examines can be found at state archives, which are listed on our website under our Resources Page.
We also ask that you acknowledge the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab, relevant archives, and, if applicable, individual lab member(s) when you use our research. Any statistics, figures, or tables that we provide should also be attributed to the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab.
Our policy is to not give out any contact information or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though the Lab is open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of balancing responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information with open communication of important historical knowledge, we limit the types of data and records that can be accessed by the general public. Furthermore, each state has their own set of privacy and protection laws for archived medical records that we must follow. Many of the records our research examines can be found at state archives, which are listed on our website under our Resources Page.
We also ask that you acknowledge the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab, relevant archives, and, if applicable, individual lab member(s) when you use our research. Any statistics, figures, or tables that we provide should also be attributed to the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab.
- What years do your records cover?
- Our research about survivors and eugenic sterilization primarily focuses on the period from the 1920s to the 1950s. Our records from California, for example, span the years from 1919 to 1952.
- What archives does your research use?
- Our research draws 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 draws 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?
- Requests to access our records and research are handled on a case-by-case basis. Our policy is to not give out any contact information or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though the Lab is open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of balancing responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information with open communication of important historical knowledge, we limit the types of data and records that can be accessed by the general public. Furthermore, each state has their own set of privacy and protection laws for archived medical records that we must follow.
In California, for example, records seventy-five years or older from the State Archives are open to research under the California Public Records Act and laws protecting individual privacy under the Information Practices Act. However, other states like Iowa have stricter policies regarding access to and sharing of similar materials.
- Requests to access our records and research are handled on a case-by-case basis. Our policy is to not give out any contact information or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though the Lab is open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of balancing responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information with open communication of important historical knowledge, we limit the types of data and records that can be accessed by the general public. Furthermore, each state has their own set of privacy and protection laws for archived medical records that we must follow.
- Can you look up a specific record or person for me?
- If you would like us to find a specific person or record, please fill out our information request form. We generally only pull records for survivors of eugenic sterilization and their family or for searches related to the California Compensation Program.
When requesting a record, the key information we need are: name of patient, location of institutionalization or internment, age or date of birth, and year of sterilization.
- If you would like us to find a specific person or record, please fill out our information request form. We generally only pull records for survivors of eugenic sterilization and their family or for searches related to the California Compensation Program.
- 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 checking out No Más Bebes, Belly of the Beast, Wicked Silence, Amá, A Whisper Past by Leilani Muir, “‘You Just Feel Like Nothing’: California to Pay Sterilization Victims” by Amanda Morris in The New York Times, The Cloak of Competence by Robert B. Edgarton, and Laboratory of Deficiency by Natalie Lira.
- Our policy is to not give out any contact or identifying information of sterilization survivors. Instead, for survivor perspectives and stories, we recommend checking out No Más Bebes, Belly of the Beast, Wicked Silence, Amá, A Whisper Past by Leilani Muir, “‘You Just Feel Like Nothing’: California to Pay Sterilization Victims” by Amanda Morris in The New York Times, The Cloak of Competence by Robert B. Edgarton, and Laboratory of Deficiency by Natalie Lira.
