“In the 44 years during which the Act was enforced, it authorized the legal and forced sterilization of approximately 2,500 people, the majority of which were poor, female, under the age of 25, and from ethnic minorities. Of the total number of individuals sterilized, 64.7% were women, 49.8% were from rural communities, 40.6% were unemployed, 20.55% were characterized as housewives, 25.7% were Métis or Indian (a disproportionately high number considering Métis and Indian made up only 3.4% of the total population in Alberta at the time), and 70.6% were under the age of 20. Furthermore, there were a number of incidents of patients ‘recovering’ from retardation after being sterilized— Leilani Muir being one of the more well known cases.”
– Candice M. McCavitt: “Eugenics and Human Rights in Canada: The Alberta Sexual
Sterilization Act of 1928″ from Peace & Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology (via asshole-academic)