Raleigh, Sept. 18—although sterilization as a general remedy for feeble-mindedness and idiocy, first generally recommended, legislation permitting the use of sterilization in certain cases, on the recommendation of the heads of the various State corrective institutions, is perhaps the major recommendation contained among the seven which are made in the report of the committee on the feeble minded, of which Dr. W. S. Rankin is chairman, and which was today made public by Governor A. W. McLean. The report, which is most thorough and exhaustive and reflects the latest and most up to date finding on the question of feeble mindedness and idiocy, first goes into an able outline of the problem as it exists in North Carolina, considers the value of the various forms of treatment which have been evolved, and finally concludes with seven recommendations, either as to desired legislation or general policy to be followed in the handling of the situation.
The seven recommendations, in brief, are as follows:
--To give preference in the treatment of cases at Casewell Training School which are the most burdensome on the family or community.
--To employ a more modern system of cost finding, and to seek to rehabilitate wherever possible, providing for the parole and discharge of a certain number of patients annually.
--That all present building plans take into consideration future needs for a period of 25 years, with an ultimate capacity of 2,000 at the Casewell Training School.
--That legislation be enacted requiring mental and physical examination of all school children in the State who have become retarded one year in school, to see if they are mentally or physically defective.
--That legislation be enacted to authorize the superintendent of State Prison, the Caswell Training School or the heads of any of the hospitals for the insane to authorize sterilization operations on either a male or female inmate or patient, when in his estimation such an operation would be in the interest of the general welfare. Such reommendations must be submitted in writing to the State Board of Health and the State Department of Public Welfare for approval, before the operations would be allowed.
--That parents be required to pay in whole or in part the expenses of children in the Caswell school whenever they are financially able to do so and that where this is not possible, the counties assist in paying the expenses of the cases which come from them.
--that the Capacity of the Caswell Training School be increased to accommodate 150 additional inmates, increasing the capacity from 540 as it is at present to 690, which would require an appropriation of not exceeding $120,000. Per capita cost of maintenance at present should not exceed $300 a year, the report sets forth.
In the light of recent happenings, the proposal to enlarge the Caswell School may meet with considerable opposition, as may also the recommendation for the examination of all backward school children, as set forth in the fourth recommendation above.
In giving out the report of the committee to the press, Governor McLean stated that he was much impressed with the comprehensive way the subject had been treated, and commended Dr. Rankin and the other members of the committee for the excellent work they had done. The entire report is to be printed and will be sent to every member of the legislature and to others who are interested.
Editor's Note: According to A.I., North Carolina did not end its policy of sterilizing people labeled “feeble‑minded” until 1977, and the sterilization law was not fully repealed until 2003. It was one of the longest‑running and most aggressive sterilization programs in the United States.
1933–1973: Peak sterilization era--More than 7,600 people were sterilized under state authority.N.C. sterilized more people per capita than any other state. The program increasingly targeted: poor women, Black women, people labeled “feeble‑minded,” “delinquent,” or “promiscuous”, and people in orphanages or welfare homes.
By the 1950s–60s, the program was less about “mental deficiency” and more about controlling reproduction among poor women receiving public assistance.<> 1973: Sterilization program effectively ends--The Eugenics Board stopped approving new sterilizations in 1973. This is the practical end of the program.
1977: Law formally repealed--The sterilization statute was removed from the books in 1977.
2003: Final cleanup--NC repealed remaining sterilization‑related language in 2003, closing all legal loopholes.
2013: Compensation--NC became the first state to compensate victims. Survivors received $50,000 each.
From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, September 18, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-09-18/ed-1/seq-1/
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