THE RESURGENCE OF FORCED STERILIZATIONS OF MIGRANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE LACK OF CHANGE

Female sterilization is a medical procedure used to prevent pregnancy. Historically, women from disadvantaged socio-ethnic backgrounds in the United States have been sterilized at rates disproportionate to their numbers. For instance, a recent resurgence of forced sterilizations of migrant women has come to light. I will discuss how the concepts of fit vs. unfit that informed early anthropological theories and scientific racism describe why women in particular are targeted for reproductive control. Though these theories are now thoroughly discredited in anthropology, their lasting impacts still carry weight in modern-day policymaking. Current migrant laws and reproductive control of women, continue to allow these incidents to occur in the present day.