Historical Trauma
This U.S. government program forcibly sterilized 25-50% of Native American women in the 1970s.
What is the Indian Health Service (IHS)? The IHS performed thousands of forced sterilizations on Native women, often without informed consent. This was part of a broader genocidal policy targeting Indigenous peoples' ability to reproduce and maintain their communities.
This biological mechanism allows trauma to be passed from parents to children through gene expression changes.
What is epigenetics? Epigenetic changes occur when trauma alters how genes are expressed without changing DNA sequence. Research shows trauma effects can be inherited for multiple generations.
These geographic areas, created by redlining and segregation, lack reproductive healthcare providers.
What are healthcare deserts (or maternity care deserts)? Historically segregated communities and rural areas often have no OB/GYNs, abortion providers, or birthing facilities.
This 1994 term, coined by Black women, reframes reproductive rights as human rights tied to social justice.
What is Reproductive Justice? Created by Black women at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, it addresses: the right to have children, not have children, and parent in safe communities.
This term describes the intersection of race and class in creating health disparities.
What is structural racism (or systemic oppression/intersectionality)? Structural racism creates health disparities through residential segregation, economic inequality, discriminatory policies, and environmental racism.
The approximate number of people forcibly sterilized in the U.S. under eugenics laws between 1907-1970s.
What is over 60,000 people?
More than 60,000 people were forcibly sterilized under state eugenics programs. Targets included: Indigenous people, Black people, Latina women, poor people, disabled people, and those deemed 'feeble-minded.'
Medical mistrust from historical abuse leads to this health-seeking behavior in affected communities.
What is delayed care or avoiding healthcare? Communities that experienced medical experimentation (like Tuskegee) often avoid doctors and hospitals. This leads to later diagnosis of health problems and worse outcomes.
This federal policy restricts Medicaid funding for abortion, disproportionately affecting low-income women.
What is the Hyde Amendment? Passed in 1976, the Hyde Amendment bans federal Medicaid funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
This grassroots role provides culturally competent birth support, helping reduce maternal mortality in Black communities.
What are community doulas or birth workers? Doulas provide continuous support during pregnancy and birth. Studies show doulas reduce C-sections, preterm births, and maternal mortality.
This Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, eliminating federal abortion protections.
What is Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization?
Dobbs eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, allowing states to ban the procedure.
This percentage of Puerto Rican women were sterilized by the 1970s, often without full informed consent.
What is one-third (33%)? Approximately 1 in 3 Puerto Rican women of childbearing age were sterilized, making it one of the highest rates in the world. This was part of U.S. colonial population control policies.
Children and grandchildren of trauma survivors often experience this, even without directly experiencing the original trauma.
What is intergenerational trauma (or secondary trauma)? Trauma is transmitted through: biological changes (epigenetics), parenting affected by trauma, family stories and silence, and community-wide coping mechanisms.
Women of color disproportionately work in jobs without this benefit, making it hard to recover from childbirth.
What is paid family leave? The U.S. has no federal paid family leave. Low-wage jobs (disproportionately held by women of color) rarely offer paid leave.
This organization, founded by women of color, leads the reproductive justice movement in the U.S.
What is SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective? Founded in 1997, SisterSong is a national network of organizations working for reproductive justice.
The three core principles of reproductive justice are the right to have children, not have children, and this.
What is the right to parent children in safe and sustainable communities?
This includes freedom from violence, environmental safety, economic security, and healthcare access.
This 1927 Supreme Court case upheld forced sterilization laws with the phrase 'Three generations of imbeciles are enough.'
What is Buck v. Bell? Buck v. Bell legitimized eugenics in the U.S. and has NEVER been overturned. It gave legal justification for forced sterilization programs.
This is how family separation through forced sterilization impacts cultural continuity in Indigenous communities.
What is cultural genocide? When Indigenous women can't have children, traditional knowledge, language, ceremonies, and ways of life can't be passed down. Smaller populations lose political power and land rights.
This practice of restraining pregnant people during labor is still legal in some states, particularly affecting incarcerated women.
What is shackling?
Pregnant incarcerated people are often shackled during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. This is medically dangerous and traumatic.
Indigenous communities are reviving this traditional practice as resistance to colonial obstetrics.
What is traditional midwifery or Indigenous birthing practices? Indigenous communities are reclaiming traditional birth practices as cultural healing and sovereignty.
Name three specific communities that have been targeted for reproductive oppression in U.S. history.
Any three of: Indigenous/Native American people, Black/African American people, Latina/Puerto Rican women, Poor/low-income people, Disabled people, Incarcerated people, Immigrants.
Between 2006-2010, this many women were illegally sterilized in California prisons without proper consent.
What is nearly 150 women?
California prison doctors sterilized at least 144 incarcerated women without proper authorization. Some women were pressured while in labor or recovery.
This specific health disparity shows multigenerational trauma: Black women are this many times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
What is 3-4 times more likely? Black maternal mortality is 3-4x higher than white women across all education and income levels. This is directly linked to medical racism, chronic stress from discrimination, and historical trauma.
Women have been criminally prosecuted for this pregnancy outcome, particularly in communities of color.
What are miscarriages, stillbirths, or substance use during pregnancy?
Hundreds of people have been arrested for pregnancy outcomes, especially in states with 'fetal personhood' laws.
Name two specific legal victories communities have won against forced sterilization or reproductive oppression.
Examples include: Relf v. Weinberger (1974) - Required informed consent for sterilization; Madrigal v. Quilligan (1975-1978); State apologies and compensation; Anti-shackling laws; 2022 ballot initiatives protecting abortion rights.
Explain how poverty, racism, and reproductive oppression create a cycle that reinforces itself across generations.
The Cycle includes: Historical oppression creates wealth gaps → Poverty limits healthcare access → Racism in healthcare leads to worse outcomes → Medical mistrust leads to delayed care → Health complications create more poverty → Criminalization further marginalizes communities → Intergenerational trauma affects children's health → Cycle continues.