re: #300 Anymouse 🌹

The case permitted eugenic sterilisation to prohibit criminality, immorality, poverty, and feeblemindedness (epilepsy).

The African-American woman in question (Buck) became pregnant at a very young age. She was put in a Virginia home for the feebleminded, claiming she was incorrigibly immoral. Bell was the prosecutor who took the case to the Supreme Court on behalf of Virginia, arguing “three generations of imbeciles is enough.” The case was decided 8-1 in the majority, with Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes writing the majority decision.

It was later discovered the defence attorney had connections with the feebleminded home in Virginia and threw the case (making the prosecutions arguments), and that Buck had actually been on her school’s honour roll.

The most egregious part of the case was that her family had gone on vacation, leaving Buck in the hands of relatives who raped her (thus the pregnancy). They were ashamed so they had her institutionalised to prevent discovery of the rape by a relative.

Three generations of women in the family were then ordered sterilised.

Buck v Bell was used to justify laws across the country for sterilisations against people’s will, usually the poor, minorities, mentally ill, and epileptics.

The case has not been overturned.

Thanks! I’ve got some material on eugenics and this will fit right in.