Involuntary Sterilization

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services practiced involuntary surgical sterilization on Native American women all the way through the 1970s. The procedure was often done under the pretense of a checkup or abortion. Most of the victims were not aware they had been sterilized, even after the procedure. The average birth rate of Native American women fell from 3.79 in the 1970s to 1.8 in 1980s.