Three Films to Understand the Enduring Legacy of Eugenics in America
Reproductive coercion is not a distant memory
This week is the 99th anniversary of the Buck v. Bell decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. While the case is antique, its legacy remains relevant for those seeking reproductive justice.
Only 6 years ago, nurse Dawn Wooten filed a whistleblower complaint about unconsented and unnecessary hysterectomies at an ICE detention center in Georgia. An investigation from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the U.S. Senate in November 2022, entitled Medical Mistreatment of Women in ICE Detention, found that the Wooten’s claims shone an important light on reproductive injustice.
The Eugenics Crusade: What’s Wrong with Perfect?
Director: Michelle Ferrari
Released: 2018
“The eugenics movement, rooted in heredity studies, grew into a campaign promoting human improvement through state-sanctioned sterilization and influenced immigration policies targeting groups labeled genetically inferior.”
From theory to practice, The Eugenics Crusade places the story of Carrie Buck and the Buck v. Bell case in context.
La Operación
Director: Ana María García
Released: 1982
Forced and coerced sterilization is deeply tied to colonialism and white supremacy. La Operación exposed the lasting harms of forced sterilization in Puerto Rico.
Under the guise of “population control” approximately one third of Puerto Rican women of childbearing age were sterilized between the 1930s and 1970s. Many women were coerced or lead to believe the procedure was easily reversible.
Belly of the Beast
Director: Erika Cohn
Released: 2020
When a courageous young woman and a radical lawyer discover a pattern of illegal sterilizations in California’s women’s prisons, they wage a near-impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. With a growing team of investigators inside prison working with colleagues on the outside, they uncover a series of statewide crimes - from inadequate health care to sexual assault to coercive sterilizations - primarily targeting women of color. This shocking legal drama captured over 7-years features extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, demanding attention to a shameful and ongoing legacy of eugenics and reproductive injustice in the United States.
Watch the trailer here
Amá
Director: Lorna Tucker
Released: 2018
“What did I do to the government to have them do this to me?”
Amá tells the story of the involuntary sterilization of Native American women by the Indian Health Service well into the 1970s. Over a twenty-year period between 1960 and 1980, an estimated tens of thousands of Native American women were sterilized without their knowledge or consent. Due to poor record keeping during this era the number may in fact be much higher. The film includes the powerful testimony of three survivors: Jean Whitehorse, Yvonne Swan and Charon Asetoyer.
Watch the preview here:
Buck v. Bell at 99
To read more about the Buck v. Bell case, check out my summary of the case and why it still matters.