Resources.

Resources for educators, research information, and further reading.

Digital Projects

Screenshot of the Sonoma State Hospital Narrative and Visual History Site. Links out to the external site.
Sonoma State Hospital Narrative and Visual History. Justin Joque, Kayla Kingston, Nicole Novak, Alexandra Minna Stern, Kate O'Connor, and Jacqueline Wernimont.

​Eugenic Rubicon: California's Sterilization Stories. Jacqueline Wernimont and Alexandra Minna Stern.

"The Movement that Inspired the Holocaust," TEDx Animation

Trace the history of the eugenics movement in the US, and discover how the belief in ideal genetics led to forced sterilizations.

Since ancient Greece, humans have controlled populations via reproduction, retaining some traits and removing others. But in the 19th century, a new scientific movement dedicated to this endeavor emerged: eugenics. Scientists believed they could improve society by ensuring that only desirable traits were passed down. Alexandra Minna Stern and Natalie Lira detail the history of eugenics in the US.

Lesson by Alexandra Minna Stern and Natalie Lira, directed by Héloïse Dorsan-Rachet.​

Survivor Perspectives and Stories

For survivor perspectives and stories, we recommend checking out No Más Bebes, Belly of the Beast, Wicked Silence, Amá, Reproduction on the Reservation by Brianna Theobald, A Whisper Past by Leilani Muir, and “‘You Just Feel Like Nothing’: California to Pay Sterilization Victims” by Amanda Morris in The New York Times. ​

Archives, Collections, and Further Reading

Archives and Collections
  1. California State Archives, Sacramento, CA
​Further Reading
  1. Justine P. Wu, Michael M. McKee, Kimberly S. Mckee, Michelle A. Meade, Melissa Plegue, and Ananda Sen. "Female Sterilization is More Common among Women with Physical and/or Sensory Disabilities than Women without Disabilities in the United States." Disability and Health Journal 10 no. 3. July 2017. 400–405.
  2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Ethics. "Sterilization of Women: Ethical Issues and Considerations." ​Committee Opinion 695. April 2017. 1–8.
  3. Alexandra Minna Stern, Nicole L. Novak, Natalie Lira, Kate O'Connor, Siobán Harlow, and Sharon Kardia. "California's Sterilization Survivors: An Estimate and Call for Redress." American Journal of Public Health 107, no. 1. January 2017. 50–54.
  4. Ben Christopher. "State Stops Refusing Extra Welfare to Moms Who Have More Children." CALmatters. 11 January 2017.
  5. Ben Bradford. "New Law: Repeal of '90s Welfare Rule Takes Effect." Capital Public Radio. 2 January 2017.
  6. Sabrina Tavernise. "Medicaid Finds Opportune Time to Offer Birth Control: Right after Birth." New York Times. 28 October 2016.
  7. Liza Fuentes, Sharon Lebenkoff, Kari White, Caitlin Gerdts, Kristine Hopkins, Joseph E. Potter, and Daniel Grossman. "Women's Experiences Seeking Abortion Care Shortly after the Closure of Clinics due to a Restrictive Law in Texas." Contraception 93, no. 4. April 2016. 292–297.
  8. ​National Women's Health Network and Sister Song. "Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Statement of Principles." April 2016.
  9. Ginny Garcia-Alexander, Kelly Gonzales, and Elizabeth Carol Hauck. "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Desire for Reversal of Sterilization among U.S. Women." Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations. 31 March 2016. 1–16.
  10. Mieke C. W. Eeckhaut and Megan M. Sweeney. "The Perplexing Links between Contraceptive Sterilization and (Dis)Advantage in Ten Low-Fertility Countries." Population STudies: A Journal of Demography 70, no 1. January 2016. 39–58.
  11. Ginny Garcia, Dawn M. Richardson, Kelly L. Gonzales, and Adolfo G. Cuevas. "Trends and Disparities in Postpartum Sterilization after Cesarean Section, 2000 through 2008." Women's Health Issues 25, no. 6. November–December 2015. 634–640.
  12. Anu Manchikanti Gomez, Liza Fuentes, and Amy Allina. "Women or LARC First? Reproductive Autonomy and the Promotion of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive Methods." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 46, no. 3. September 2014. 171–175.
  13. Natalie Lira and Alexandra Minna Stern. "Mexican Americans and Eugenic Sterilization: Resisting Reproductive Injustice in California, 1920–1950." Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies 39, no. 2. Fall 2014. 9–34.
  14. Molly Ladd-Taylor. "Contraception or Eugenics? Sterilization and 'Mental Retardation' in the 1970s and 1980s." Canadian Bulletin of Medical History 31, no. 1. Spring 2014. 189–211.
  15. Sonya Borrero, Nikki Zite, Joseph E. Potter, and James Trussell. "Medicaid Policy on Sterilization—Anachronistic or Still Relevant?" The New England Journal of Medicine 370. January 2014. 102–104
  16. Sonya Borrero, Nikki Zite, Joseph E. Potter, James Trussell, and Kenneth Smith. "Potential Unintended Pregnancies Averted and Cost Savings Associated with a Revised Medicaid Sterilization Policy." Contraception 88, no. 6. December 2013. 691–696.
  17. Sonya Borrero, Kaleab Abebe, Christine Dehlendorf, Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, Mitchell D. Creinin, Cara Nikolajski, and Said Ibrahim. "Racial Variation in Tubal Sterilization Rates: Role of Patient-Level Factors." Fertility and Sterility 95, no. 1. January 2011. 17–22.
  18. Sonya Borrero, Cara Nikolajski, Keri L. Rodriguez, Mitchell D. Creinin, Robert M. Arnold, and Said A. Ibrahim. "'Everything I Know I Learned from my Mother ... or Not': Perspectives of African-American and White Women on Decisions about Tubal Sterilization." Journal of General Internal Medicine 24, no. 3. March 2009. 312–319.
  19. Molly Ladd-Taylor. "Saving Babies and Sterilizing Mothers: Eugenics and Welfare Politics in the Interwar United States." Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society 4, no. 1. Spring 1997. 136–153.