Date of Award
Spring 5-2026
Language
English
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Advisor/Committee Chair
Barbara Sutton
Committee Member
Janell Hobson
Abstract
Throughout the history of the United States, there is a continuous theme of women of color and immigrant women experiencing violations of their reproductive rights, including sterilization abuse. Under eugenics laws and initiatives, these women have been sterilized to prevent the reproduction of people that those in power deemed “unfit.” Due to intersecting gender, racial, and socioeconomic statuses, women of color have been more vulnerable to involuntary sterilization than their more privileged peers. Through the review of research articles, analysis of documentary interviews, collection of relevant news articles, and archival research of materials produced by organizations fighting sterilization abuse, this project explores why women of color have been and continue to be a targets of such human right violations in the United States, how this has happened to them, and what work has been done to stop these abusive practices.
Recommended Citation
Cataldo, Guadalupe, "Without Their Consent: The History of Involuntary Sterilization of Women of Color in the United States" (2026). Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. 2.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/honorscollege_wgss/2