NEWS
4 Obiter Dicta
Sterilization of Vulnerable Groups
Unfortunately Not an Archaic Procedure of the Past
- simmy
sahdr a
We as Canadians have a dark history of oppression
and violence enacted upon marginalized populations.
Unfortunately, some of this oppression and violence
lives on, often occurring under the radar of many
Canadians’ knowledge.
The sterilization of vulnerable and marginalized groups was used as a process of eugenics in a
much more direct and public manner in the past. For
example, from 1928 to 1972,, both compulsory and
“optional” sterilization procedures were performed
on individuals of varying age and ethnicities. I say
“optional” because in many cases, the vulnerability of individuals were exploited and although there
appeared to be “choice” for these individuals, there
was not—they were pressured into consenting to
these sterilizations.
During this time period, statues such as the
Alberta Sexual Sterilization Act of 1928 were used
to justify these procedures. Youth, minorities, and
women were sterilized in disproportionately high
numbers. Youth would be rendered “mental defectives” so that parental consent could be bypassed.
By and large, Aboriginal people were targeted—
a thought to rid the Canadian population of these
people, who were also commonly rendered “mentally
deficient” to justify these sterilizations of Aboriginal
men, women, and children. Women who were young,
poor, and unmarried were also targeted; they were
thought to be at risk of “breeding further immorality.” Finally, the other largely targeted group was
people w