Eugenics Record Office. BULLETIN No. 10B: Report of the Committee to Study and to Report on the Best Practical Means of Cutting Off the Defective Germ-Plasm in the American Population. II. THE LEGAL, LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF STERILIZATION, by HARRY H. LAUGHLIN, Secretary of the Committee, Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, New York, February, 1914. This document has been scanned and prepared for publication in Adobe Acrobat format by the staff of the National Information Resource on Ethics and Human Genetics. The digitization was performed with funding from Georgetown University's subgrant through National Human Genome Research Institute's Centers of Excellence in ELSI Research (CEER) award to Duke University under grant number 06-SC-NIH-1027, Robert Cook-Deegan, Principal Investigator. National Information Resource on Ethics and Human Genetics The Joseph and Rose Kennedy Institute of Ethics Georgetown University Washington, DC 20057-1212 202-687-3885, 888-GEN-ETHX, FAX: 202-687-6770 http://bioethics.georgetown.edu/nirehg/ Eugenics Record Office BULLETIN No. 10B Report of the Committee to Study and to Report on the Best Practical Means of Cutting Off the Defective Germ-Plasm in the American Population. II. THE LEGAL, LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF STERILIZATION BY HARRY H. LAUGHLIN Secretary of the Committee COLD SPRING HARBOR LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK February, 1914 Eugenics Record Office Committee to Study and to Report on the Best Practical Means of Cutting Off the Defective Germ-Plasm in the American Population. WORKING COMMITTEE LEECKER AN AGENEN B V W , Chairman W. H. CARMALT EVERETT FLOOD H. W. MITCHELL H. H. LAUGHLIN, Secretary EXPERT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Medicine— Criminology— L. F. BARKER WARREN W. FOSTER Physiology— Sociology— W. B. CANNON FRANKLIN H. GIDDINGS Surgery— Economics— ALEXIS CARREL JAMES A. FIELD Biology— Statistics— HERBERT J. WEBBER O. P. AUSTIN Thremmatology— RAYMOND PEARL Immigration— R. DEC. WARD Anthropology— ALEX. F. CHAMBERLAIN Law— JAMES M. BECK AND Psychiatry— LOUIS MARSHALL STEWART PATON Psychology— History— H. H. GODDARD JAMES J. WALSH Woman's Viewpoint— Public Affairs— MRS. CAROLINE B. ALEXANDER IRVING FISHER International Co-operation— Religion and Morals— E. E. SOUTHARD NEWELL DWIGHT HILLIS TABLE OF CONTENTS MAP SHOWING STATES HAVING STERILIZATION LAWS . Frontispiece PREFACE . 7 I. INTRODUCTION . 9 II. EXISTING LAWS: ANALYSIS, TEXT AND LEGISLATIVE HISTORY . 13 A. Tabular Analysis of Laws . 13 B. Texts and Histories of the Statutes . 14 1. Indiana . 14 2. Washington . 14 3. California . 15 a. First Statute . 15 b. Second Statute . 16 4. Connecticut . 17 5. Nevada . 18 6. Iowa . 18 a. First Statute . 18 b. Second Statute . 20 7. New Jersey . 21 8. New York . 23 9. North Dakota . 25 10. Michigan . 27 11. Kansas . 28 12. Wisconsin . 30 III. BILLS VETOED: TEXTS, VETO MESSAGES AND HISTORIES . 31 A. Tabular Analysis of Bills Vetoed . 31 B. Texts and Histories of Bills Vetoed . 31 1. Pennsylvania . 31 a. Text of Bill . 31 b. Veto Message . 32 2. Oregon . 33 a. Text of Bill . 33 b. Veto Message . 33 3. Vermont . 34 a. Text of Bill . 34 b. Veto . 36 4. Nabraska . 38 a. Text of Bill . 38 b. Veto Message . 39 C. Proposed Law Revoked by Referendum . 40 1. History of Proposed Sterilization Law of Oregon and Referendum Petition . 40 2. Text of Revoked Statute . 42 IV. BILLS INTRODUCED BUT NOT PASSED . 44 1. General Statement . 44 2. Tabular Analysis of Bills Introduced But Not Passed . 44 3 4 EUGENICS RECORD OFFICE, BULLETIN No. 10 B. V. LITIGATION AND LEGAL OPINION . 44 1. Washington . 46 a. Decision of Supreme Court . 46 b. Editorial Comment by New York Times . 49 2. New Jersey . 50 a. Brief by Assistant Attorney-General . 50 b. Decision of Supreme Court . 54 c. Comment . 58 3. California: Opinion of the Deputy Attorney-General . 61 4. Connecticut . 67 a. Opinion of the Attorney-General . 67 b. Statement by Dean Rogers . 72 5. Opinion on the General Principle . 73 a. Statement by Louis Marshall . 73 b. Summary . 75 VI. WORKING OUT OF EXISTING LAWS . 76 1. Indiana . 76 a. Executive Agents . 77 b. History and Extent of Sterilizing Operations . 77 c. Legal Status . 79 d. Comment . 80 2. Washington . 80 a. Executive Agents . 80 b. History and Extent of Sterilizing Operations . 80 c. Litigation and Legal Status . 81 d. Comment . 81 3. California . 82 a. Executive Agents . 82 b. Legal Status . 82 c. History and Extent of Sterilizing Operations . 83 4. Connecticut . 84 a. Executive Agents . 85 b. History and Extent of Sterilizing Operations . 85 c. Legal Status . 86 d. Comment . 86 5. Nevada . 86 a. Executive Agents . 87 b. History and Extent of Sterilizing Operations . 87 c. Legal Status . 87 6. Iowa . 87 a. Executive Agents . 87 b. History and Extent of Sterilizing Operations . 88 c. Legal Status . 88 7. New Jersey . 88 a. Executive Agents . 89 b. History and Extent of Sterilizing Operations . 89 c..