United States & Sterilization

Currently, 27 US states have laws permitting involuntary sterilization. 21 of these states have laws specifically for institutionalized or developmentally delayed patients. These laws were passed in the early 1900's when the eugenics movement was gaining momentum, and have never been revoked.

In the early 1900's, the United States had a eugenics program . With that program, the U.S. was attempting to perfect the gene pool. The hopeful outcomes were that of a society without crime, mental illness, and homelessness. The idea was that if the degenerates of society were kept from having children that society's problems would disappear.

Margaret Sanger,the founder of Planned Parenthood was in support of eugenics and forced sterilization as a method of strengthening the American people.

Methods of Sterilization still used in the United states are vasectomy's for men and tubal ligation for women. Both of these are reversible and involve severing the path of the sperm or egg from reaching the females uterus.

Quinacrine sterilization is a new method in women that is irreversible and involves placing quinacrine acid pellets in the fallopian tubes and burning them causing them to close off and scar over.