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The history of the sterilisation of women with learning disabilities is highly controversial and remains, to a large extent, a secret. Preventing intellectually disabled women from having children was actively canvassed across the Western world in the early 20th century as a solution to the ‘problem of mental deficiency’.
In some countries, dark, forbidding institutions enforced sterilisations and actively prevented social and sexual activity among residents. But as we hear in this moving programme presented by Liz Tilley from The Open University, the reasons behind decisions to sterilise these women were complex and sometimes unexpected.
- Duration 20 mins
- Updated Thursday 16th September 2010
- Posted under Social Care & Social Work
Track 1: A Secret History of Sterilisation
A history told by the survivors of sterilisation.
© The Open University 2010
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Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Secret History of Sterilisation | A history told by the survivors of sterilisation. Play now A Secret History of Sterilisation |
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