As Ted and I discussed:
“They were forced to undergo hysterectomies. Their tubes were tied and they were given vasectomies, sometimes without anesthesia.”
The scientific and political communities in America were solidly behind the project. Those performing the sterilizations were considered humanitarian heroes, and academics who questioned the idea were subject to vilification, loss of employment, and loss of academic funding. The press and political activists formed a solid phalanx to protect the pro-eugenics side. Glenn Reynolds of Glenn’s Substack (another worthy subscribable) linked to the interview on Instapundit.com, framing it as follows:
PUBLIC HEALTH HAS ALWAYS INVOLVED A LOT OF GROUPTHINK:When Sterilization Was Dogma: Why the Eugenics Movement is Relevant Today.“Eugenicists sought to ‘improve’ the human species in the same way that one would improve cattle or soybeans—and using basically the same techniques.”
Later in the day, Glenn added an update—an excruciatingly poignant email that he had received from a reader: