**URGENT**
California Senate Bill 1190 would compensate survivors involuntary sterilized under California’s eugenics program between 1909 and 1979.
Background: Between 1909 and 1979, California’s eugenics law approved sterilization of individuals deemed “unfit for reproduction” in state institutions. California had the most active program in the United States, sterilizing over 20,000 people (out of an estimated 60,000 people nationally). People with disabilities, Latina/os, women, and poor people were among the communities targeted and harmed by these laws, built on bigoted assumptions about an individual’s heritage, their potential, or usefulness to those with greater power, privilege, or standing in society.
The Solution: SB 1190 provides financial compensation to verified survivors sterilized under California’s eugenics law (an estimated 631 people), as an acknowledgement of the state’s prejudiced and harmful practices.
Why This Bill Is Important: SB 1190 advances disability justice and reproductive justice by recognizing the basic human right of every person control their own reproductive choices, without interference from the state or outside authorities. It acknowledges that dangerous stereotypes and assumptions about the quality of life and the capacity of people with disabilities are harmful relics of outdated thinking, laws, and practices. It affirms that all people should be treated with respect and dignity regarding their lives and reproduction, including those who have been historically disenfranchised: disabled people, women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and poor people.
ACT NOW:
SB 1190 passed unanimously through the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 25. It is heading to the Senate floor now, where it must be voted on this week to proceed to the Assembly. We need your help to pass SB 1190 into law!
Call Your State Senator Today and Urge Them To Vote YES on SB 1190.
Find your State Senator and their Senate Office phone number by entering your zip code here.