<P> After World War II , public opinion towards eugenics and sterilization programs became more negative in the light of the connection with the genocidal policies of Nazi Germany , though a significant number of sterilizations continued in a few states through the 1970s . The Oregon Board of Eugenics , later renamed the Board of Social Protection , existed until 1983 , with the last forcible sterilization occurring in 1981 . The U.S. commonwealth Puerto Rico had a sterilization program as well . Some states continued to have sterilization laws on the books for much longer after that , though they were rarely if ever used . California sterilized more than any other state by a wide margin , and was responsible for over a third of all sterilization operations . Information about the California sterilization program was produced into book form and widely disseminated by eugenicists E.S. Gosney and Paul B. Popenoe , which was said by the government of Adolf Hitler to be of key importance in proving that large - scale compulsory sterilization programs were feasible . In recent years , the governors of many states have made public apologies for their past programs beginning with Virginia and followed by Oregon and California . Few have offered to compensate those sterilized , however , citing that few are likely still living ( and would of course have no affected offspring ) and that inadequate records remain by which to verify them . At least one compensation case , Poe v. Lynchburg Training School & Hospital ( 1981 ) , was filed in the courts on the grounds that the sterilization law was unconstitutional . It was rejected because the law was no longer in effect at the time of the filing . However , the petitioners were granted some compensation because the stipulations of the law itself , which required informing the patients about their operations , had not been carried out in many cases . The 27 states where sterilization laws remained on the books ( though not all were still in use ) in 1956 were : Arizona , California , Connecticut , Delaware , Georgia , Idaho , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Mississippi , Montana , Nebraska , New Hampshire , North Carolina , North Dakota , Oklahoma , Oregon , South Carolina , South Dakota , Utah , Vermont , Virginia , West Virginia and Wisconsin . </P>
<P> After World War II , public opinion towards eugenics and sterilization programs became more negative in the light of the connection with the genocidal policies of Nazi Germany , though a significant number of sterilizations continued in a few states through the 1970s . The Oregon Board of Eugenics , later renamed the Board of Social Protection , existed until 1983 , with the last forcible sterilization occurring in 1981 . The U.S. commonwealth Puerto Rico had a sterilization program as well . Some states continued to have sterilization laws on the books for much longer after that , though they were rarely if ever used . California sterilized more than any other state by a wide margin , and was responsible for over a third of all sterilization operations . Information about the California sterilization program was produced into book form and widely disseminated by eugenicists E.S. Gosney and Paul B. Popenoe , which was said by the government of Adolf Hitler to be of key importance in proving that large - scale compulsory sterilization programs were feasible . In recent years , the governors of many states have made public apologies for their past programs beginning with Virginia and followed by Oregon and California . Few have offered to compensate those sterilized , however , citing that few are likely still living ( and would of course have no affected offspring ) and that inadequate records remain by which to verify them . At least one compensation case , Poe v. Lynchburg Training School & Hospital ( 1981 ) , was filed in the courts on the grounds that the sterilization law was unconstitutional . It was rejected because the law was no longer in effect at the time of the filing . However , the petitioners were granted some compensation because the stipulations of the law itself , which required informing the patients about their operations , had not been carried out in many cases . The 27 states where sterilization laws remained on the books ( though not all were still in use ) in 1956 were : Arizona , California , Connecticut , Delaware , Georgia , Idaho , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Mississippi , Montana , Nebraska , New Hampshire , North Carolina , North Dakota , Oklahoma , Oregon , South Carolina , South Dakota , Utah , Vermont , Virginia , West Virginia and Wisconsin . </P>
when was the last forced sterilization united states
when was the last forced sterilization united states
1981
1981