The Never-Ending Story: The Lengthy History of Sterilization Surgery in Alberta and California.

摘要

This study examines sterilization surgery in Alberta and California throughout the 20th century. There has been no comparative study of these two places, which were both actively involved in the eugenics movement. During the 44 years that the Alberta Sterilization Act was in place, over 2800 men, women and even children were surgically sterilized. In the United States, California performed over 20 000 sterilizations, or 1/3 of all sterilizations completed in the United States. Three large questions are examined: why did the two sterilization programs begin; why did they continue after World War Two; and who were the eugenicists behind the two programs? I demonstrate that the progressive nature of Alberta and California allowed the province and state to begin the sterilization programs, however, it was the force of individual men that pushed the programs to continue throughout the 20th century. This comparative approach will give insight into how and why Canadian and American societies maintained these sterilization programs for such an extended period of time.