HISTORY. SHE WAS ALWAYS.
>> YOU KNOW, PART OF OUR
LIVES. SHE WANTED CHILDREN.
SHE LOVED CHILDREN STACY
CORDOVA HAS GREAT AUNT MARY
FRANCO BECAME LIKE A SECOND
MOTHER TO WHEN SHE FOUND OUT
WHY MARY NEVER HAD CHILDREN OF
HER OWN STACY WAS HORRIFIED
WHEN SHE TOLD ME I JUST OH, MY
GOD, I COULDNT BELIEVE IT.
AND THEN IT WASNT UNTIL 2000,
17 THAT I LEARNED THE TRUTH
AND THAT THIS IS A PART OF
AMERICAN HISTORY MORE THAN
20,000 PEOPLE WERE STERILIZED
AGAINST THEIR WILL IN THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA DURING THE
20TH CENTURY STACYS GREAT
AUNT WHO IS ONE OF THEM. IT
OFTEN HAPPENED INSIDE MENTAL
HEALTH INSTITUTIONS WHERE
DOCTORS ARE. BUT RARELY
STERILIZED PATIENTS. THEY
DEEMED UNFIT TO REPRODUCE AND
THE EUGENICS LAWS AT THE TIME.
ALLOWED IT BASICALLY WHAT THEY
WERE DOING WAS THESE LAWS ARE
PRETTY MUCH IT WAS VERY RACIST
AND CLASSIST. SO WAS TARGETING
THE IMMIGRATE IMMIGRANTS.
>> OR DESCENDANTS OF
IMMIGRANTS AS WELL AS AS THE
POOR. AND SO WHAT THEY WOULD
DO IS THERES THIS TITLE
FEEBLE MINDED THAT WAS BEING
USED QUITE OFTEN. AND THEY
WOULD DEEM SOMEONE FEEBLE
MINDED AND IN AN EFFORT TO
STOP THIS. PEOPLE MINDEDNESS
THE GOAL WAS TO STOP THEM FROM
REPRODUCING.
>> IN MARY FRANCOS CASE, SHE
WAS BEING SEXUALLY ABUSED BY A
MIDDLE AGED MAN. ACCORDING TO
COURT THE BUS INSTEAD OF
RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR
TRAUMA, A MENTAL ASYLUM IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA USED HERB
USED TO JUSTIFY A TUBAL
LIGATION COERCING HER PARENTS
TO SIGN THESE PAPERS WHEN SHE
WAS STILL A CHILD.
>> SHE WAS JUST 13 YEARS OLD
AT THE TIME THAT THIS
HAPPENED. WHAT DID SHE KNOW?
WHAT DID SHE UNDERSTAND ABOUT
THIS PROCEDURE.
>> SHE KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
SHE KNEW THAT SHE WAS NO
LONGER ABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN
ANYMORE. AFTER THE PROCEDURE.
I WISH SHE GOT THE HELP. SHE
REALLY NEEDED IT. SHE BATTLED
A LOT OF THINGS LATER ON IN
THAT I BELIEVE WERE DUE TO,
YOU KNOW, WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO
HER AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE. IT
MAKES ME SAD THAT SHE BLAMED
HERSELF FOR IT.
>> WHILE MOST OF THIS HAPPENED
IN THE 1ST HALF OF THE 1900S.
IT WASNT UNTIL 1979 THE
CALIFORNIAS EUGENICS LAWS
WERE REPEALED. SOME HISTORIANS
BELIEVE CALIFORNIAS MASTER
SHUNS EVEN INFLUENCE NOT SEE.
GERMANYS EUGENICS PROGRAM.
ITS AN UGLY HISTORY THAT
SEVERAL AMERICAN STATES SHARE
THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF FORCED
STERILIZATION VICTIMS ACROSS
32 STATES IS MORE THAN 60,000
THIS WEEK. A TURNING POINT IN
THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE. AS
PART OF A BUDGET DEAL SIGNED
BY GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOME. THE
FORCED OR INVOLUNTARY
STERILIZATION COMPENSATION
PROGRAM WILL ALLOCATE A TOTAL
OF 7.5 MILLION DOLLARS TO
SURVIVORS OF CALIFORNIA
STERILIZATION EFFORT. AND ITS
NOT JUST AN APOLOGY BUT
THERES BEEN THERES SOME
MATERIAL, YOU KNOW, I CAN THIS
HEART MAY LOVE. I ABOUT US IS
WITH CALIFORNIA LATINAS FOR
REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE. SHE
ESTIMATES NEARLY 400 LIVING
SURVIVORS MAY QUALIFY FOR
COMPENSATION. THOSE WHO COME
FORWARD COULD RECEIVE UP TO
$25,000 FROM THE STATE AND SO
POINT AND AGAIN TO PUTTING
PRESSURE ON MAKING SURE THAT
WHATEVER PROTECTIONS ARE LAWS
ARE BEING PUT FORWARD TO
ACTUALLY BE IMPLEMENTED IN
BEING COURSE STERILIZATIONS
ARE NOT AS FROM THE DISTANT
PAST AS YOU MIGHT THINK.
>> IN 2013 THE CENTER FOR
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
REVEALED THAT DOCTORS IN THE
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION
STERILIZE NEARLY 150 FEMALE
INMATES FROM 2006 TO 2010
WITHOUT REQUIRED STATE
APPROVAL IT WASNT UNTIL A
YEAR LATER, THE CALIFORNIA
OFFICIALLY BANNED COERCED
STERILIZATIONS AS A FORM OF
BIRTH CONTROL IN PRESENCE AND
JUST LAST YEAR, LAWYERS FOR
MORE THAN 50 WOMEN DETAINED IN
THE GEORGIA ICE DETENTION
CENTER SAY THEY WERE FORCED OR
PRESSURED INTO HAVING
UNNECESSARY GYNECOLOGICAL
PROCEDURES, INCLUDING
HYSTERECTOMIES CE
INVESTIGATIONS ARE STILL
ONGOING. THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION IS
DISCONTINUING USE OF THAT
FACILITY IN LIKE OTHER
PICTURES BABIES EVERYWHERE.
SHE ALTHOUGH HER GREAT AUNT
PASSED AWAY BEFORE SHE COULD
RECEIVE REPARATIONS STACY IS
DETERMINED TO KEEP HER MEMORY
ALIVE.
>> I JUST FEEL IT IN MY HEART
TO SHARE MORE ABOUT HER AND
MORE ABOUT THIS JOURNEY.