For much of the 20th century, California was at the forefront of eugenic ideology and practices in the United States, and California holds the dubious distinction of being the state with the highest number of eugenic sterilizations performed under the authority of law – some 20,000 procedures between 1909 and the mid-1950s. Coerced sterilizations continued in public hospitals into the 1970s, and it has recently come to light that in very recent years, women prisoners in California have been sterilized without their consent or knowledge. Today, California is a leader in research and services related to human genomics and assisted reproductive technologies. Speakers at this August 28, 2012 event considered the long history of eugenics in California and explored continuities and discontinuities in the uses and misuses of genetic ideas and practices today.
