A study co-authored by Nicole Novak, research assistant professor of community and behavioral health, examined Utah’s eugenic sterilization program that targeted at least 830 people.

The study, which was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, states, “Many people sterilised under Utah’s eugenics law are likely living today. While some states have taken steps to reckon with their roles in depriving people of their reproductive rights, Utah lacks even an official acknowledgment of this shameful, medical history. Given the advanced age of the potential survivors, time is running out for a reconciliation that can be experienced by those who were most harmed by the practice.”

Media coverage

At least 830 people were forcibly sterilized at state institutions. Now one Utah agency is looking for survivors. (The Salt Lake Tribune)

Children as young as 10 and rape victims were sterilized in Utah as late as the 1970s. Time is running out to get justice. (Business Insider)