▁ 1 8 9 6 - 1 9 6 4 ▁arrested ▁and ▁ja iled , ▁without ▁trial ▁or ▁appeal , ▁females ▁from ▁ 1 6 ▁to ▁ 3 5 ▁whom ▁magistr ates ▁sus pected ▁of ▁und es irable ▁social ▁behaviour ▁-- ▁i . e . ▁prom is cu ity ▁or ▁having ▁a ▁child ▁out ▁of ▁wed lock . ▁M ales ▁were ▁de emed ▁" in cor rig ible " ▁only ▁for ▁the ft ." ▁The ▁Mer cer ▁Re format ory ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁institutions ▁they ▁were ▁sent ▁to ▁and ▁where ▁question able ▁medical ▁experiments ▁were ▁performed ▁on ▁these ▁women ▁without ▁their ▁informed ▁consent . ▁ ▁Const ance ▁Back house , ▁a ▁Canadian ▁legal ▁scholar ▁and ▁historian ▁special izing ▁in ▁gender ▁and ▁race ▁disc rim ination , ▁has ▁presented ▁cases ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁ab uses ▁inf lic ted ▁on ▁women ▁in ▁these ▁institutions ▁in ▁many ▁legal ▁for ums . ▁Among ▁these ▁cases ▁is ▁that ▁of ▁Vel ma ▁Dem erson , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁many ▁women ▁who ▁were ▁subject ed ▁to ▁several ▁invol unt ary ▁medical ▁procedures ▁by ▁a ▁re format ory ▁doctor , ▁a ▁leading ▁e ugen ics ▁pract ition er ▁searching ▁for ▁evidence ▁of ▁physical ▁def ic ien cies ▁contrib uting ▁to ▁the ▁moral ▁defect ives ▁of ▁" un man age able ▁women ". ▁After ▁release ▁she ▁married ▁the ▁father ▁of ▁her ▁child , ▁a ▁Chinese ▁imm igr ant , ▁which ▁under ▁the ▁citizens hip ▁law ▁of ▁that ▁period ▁automatically ▁ann ul led ▁her ▁Canadian ▁citizens hip . ▁Vel ma ▁was ▁one