Virginia to compensate victims of forced sterilizations

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Virginia to compensate victims of forced sterilizations
By BILL SIZEMORE, Associated Press | February 26, 2015 | Updated: February 26, 2015 7:06pm

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Lewis Reynolds didn't understand what had been done to him when he was 13.

Years later, after getting married, the Lynchburg man discovered he couldn't father children. The reason: He had been sterilized by the state.

Reynolds was among more than 7,000 Virginians involuntarily sterilized between 1924 and 1979 under the Virginia Eugenical Sterilization Act.

Advocates for the surviving victims won a three-year fight Thursday when the Virginia General Assembly budgeted $400,000 to compensate them at the rate of $25,000 each.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Virginia-to-compensate-victims-of-forced-6104096.php

[Thor_MN]

1. Only 16 left living? Out of more than 7000...

I guess they don't have to worry about the families of the more than 6984 others, because they couldn't have one...

[pkdu]

2. $25K...disgusting. Virginia is for F... Oh , nevermind. nt

[BlueJazz]

3. 3 year fight for a total of 400 thousand for 16 people ?

Grrrrr

[jwirr]

4. This happened to two of my aunts in an Iowa institution at that time. They are both long dead so

they cannot get reparations. The older of the two died in the institution but the younger one was released after years in the 1950s. She lived with her husband in a small home and never did get over having been put there. She was used to work in the kitchen and the state never paid her one cent. She wanted to sue them for wages but no one would support her.

I think that our family was lucky that it was only these two as I can trace mental illness back 5 generations. I think I am just lucky to be here at all.

[appalachiablue]

7. Thanks for sharing this, not so many would. What terrible actions were taken for decades over these

maladies. Very sorry to read of the treatment of your female relatives. Attitudes and policy were progressing for some time, but that seems to be slipping a bit, hope not. It's definitely better than in the 1920s-50s.

I could not believe how I recently read that actress Darryl Hannah, who was somewhat shy as a child and rocked, was recommended for institutionalization by doctor in the 1960s. She might be on the autism spectrum, I cannot recall. Just unbelievable.
She is very active with environmental issues, like Keystone XL of late. Now about age 51, Darryl's an attractive blond lady who starred in the movie 'Wall Street' (1986) as young Bud Fox's (Charlie Sheen) designer girlfriend. She dated musician Jackson Browne for many years and JFK Jr. for a while.

[Blue_Tires]

5. k+r