A new law made effective this summer is intended to bring justice to those individuals forcibly sterilized by the state of North Carolina more than 40 years ago.
Session Law 2013-630 establishes the Office of Justice for Sterilization Victims, dedicated to compensating those individuals or the estates of individuals involuntarily sterilized or asexualized by the state. Lawmakers have set aside $10 million to distribute evenly among those who come forward.
The sterilizations were part of a state-wide eugenics program that sterilized 7,600 men, women and children from 1929 to 1974, according to reports. North Carolina is among 32 states that had such programs targeted at the mentally disabled and aimed at strengthening the gene pool while reducing the populations of the poor. It has become the first state to attempt to compensate the victims of the program.
The state has established the Justice for Sterilization Victims of North Carolina Foundation, dedicated to helping individuals seek compensation. Click here to access the site as well as helpful information about how to make a claim. The hotline telephone number for the Office of Justice for Sterilization Victims is (877) 550-6013.
If you or a loved one was a victim of involuntary sterilization or asexualization and you would like help filing a claim, please contact us. We can help you determine if you are eligible for compensation. Claims can be made by an individual lawfully authorized to represent the victim or their estate; the victim must have been alive as of June 30, 2013 to qualify.
Author Bio
Valerie Johnson
Founder
Valerie Johnson is a North Carolina personal injury and workers’ compensation attorney dedicated to helping injured and working people across the state. A board-certified specialist since 2000, she is the Immediate Past President of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and author of North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law: A Practical Guide to Success at Every Stage of a Claim.
