# Demographic Patterns of Eugenic Sterilization in Five U.S. States: Mixed Methods Investigation of Reproductive Control of the 'Unfit'

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $81,882

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
From the passage of the first US state sterilization law in Indiana in 1907 until the 1970s, approximately 60,000
people were sterilized based on eugenic criteria designed to limit the reproduction of the “unfit”. The study
team’s extended analyses of 31,000 sterilization records in four states (California, North Carolina, Iowa, and
Michigan) have shed new light on the scope and impact of state eugenics laws, underscoring their
discriminatory effects on Latina/o men and women, Asian immigrants, Black women, Native Americans, young
people, and people deemed “feebleminded”. The investigators have developed robust mixed-methods analytic
processes to merge rigorous quantitative methods with in-depth qualitative analyses to underscore the unique
lived experiences of the thousands of people affected by these policies, especially with regard to coercion in
the legal and consent processes employed by each state.
This proposed renewal application extends ongoing epidemiologic and historical analysis of eugenic
sterilization data, focusing on differences in the application of eugenic sterilization laws across states, and
changes over time in the population groups most affected by sterilization. The investigators will add data on
over 700 people considered for eugenic sterilization in Utah, making the project more regionally representative
and expanding the dataset to include information on over 32,000 people in five states.
The investigators will continue to describe patterns of sterilization in five states according to gender, age,
ethnicity, nationality, diagnosis, consent process, time period and geography. They use population
denominators derived from US Census data to estimate population-based sterilization rates to formally
compare demographic patterns in sterilization across states and over time. The investigators will also continue
to innovate mixed-methods approaches to generate a richer understanding of the experiences of 32,000
people sterilized during the eugenics era.
The proposed project intersects with numerous ethical, legal, and social issues in human genomics, providing
new scholarly knowledge about the ways in which a particular variant of genetic determinism resulted in the
widespread state-mandated deprivation of reproductive capacity. It aligns with key portions of NHGRI’s
Strategic Vision, including understanding the implications of applying genomics in non-medical realms such as
law enforcement, and the implications of studying genetic associations with bio-behavioral traits such as
intelligence or social status. The unique quantitative and qualitative data sources present opportunities to build
an extended chronological understanding of the transmutation of eugenic ideas throughout the 20th century.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10463757
- **Project number:** 5R01HG010567-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Nicole Louise Novak
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $81,882
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-21 → 2022-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10463757

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10463757, Demographic Patterns of Eugenic Sterilization in Five U.S. States: Mixed Methods Investigation of Reproductive Control of the 'Unfit' (5R01HG010567-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10463757. Licensed CC0.

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