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 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 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.
- 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.
- 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. Claims for compensation are open for submission to the California Victims’ Compensation Board until 2024.
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. Claims for compensation are open for submission to the California Victims’ Compensation Board until 2024.
Research Queries
Research and Collaboration Disclaimer
Our policy is to not give out any contact or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though we are open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information, 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) you worked with 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 or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though we are open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information, 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) you worked with 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 on eugenic sterilization primarily covers the 1920s to the 1950s. We do not have a lot of archival materials after 1960s, though we do believe that eugenic sterilizations continued at lower rates in different formats and settings, like in California women’s prisons after 1979.
- What records from each state do you have?
- We have approximately 53,000 documents from California, dating from roughly 1919–1952. We also have (mostly redacted) records from North Carolina, Iowa, and Michigan.
- 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 or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though we are open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information, 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 or identifying information of sterilization survivors. We do not provide unrestricted access to our datasets or research, though we are open to collaboration with projects related to the history of eugenic sterilization. In the interest of responsible data stewardship of sensitive personal information, 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 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.
