I am glad to join dozens of Workers’ Comp Lawyers all across North Carolina who have volunteered to represent North Carolina sterilization victims free of charge. THE DEADLINE TO FILE CLAIMS IS JUNE 30, 2014.
For information on filing a claim go to the Office of Justice for Sterilization Victims.
For a list of the attorneys representing victims at at no cost go to the North Carolina Advocates for Justice website.
The State of North Carolina forcibly sterilized an estimated 7600 people between 1929 and 1974 under the authority of the North Carolina Eugenics Board program. It is estimate that 1500 of these people are still alive.
“Eugenics programs” became popular across the country after the Great Depression. The goal of these programs was to improve the human race by reducing the number of children born to parents with undesirable traits. In practice however, undesirable often meant disabled, uneducated or poor. The Eugenics Board of North Carolina administered the state’s eugenics program. According to The News and Observer, the board sterilized people who were mentally ill, epileptics and the “feebleminded” which usually meant a low IQ score. The Board also looked at other factors including perceived sexual promiscuity and poverty.
In 2013, the NC General Assembly appropriated $10 million for one-time payments to victims of the North Carolina Eugenics Program. To qualify for compensation, a claimant must have been alive on June 30, 2013. Eligible recipients must have been involuntarily sterilized or asexualized under the authority of the Eugenics Board of North Carolina. Involuntarily means sterilization of:
- A minor child, either with or without the consent of the minor child’s parent, guardian, or other person standing in loco parentis.
- An incompetent adult, with or without the consent of the incompetent adult’s guardian or pursuant to a valid court order.
- A competent adult, without the adult’s informed consent, with the presumption being that the adult gave informed consent.
The North Carolina Industrial Commission administers the North Carolina Eugenics Compensation Program. The Program is the first of its type in the United States.
