Women In The Holocaust

Why US Continued Eugenics Programs Post-Holocaust

North Carolina's Eugenics Task Force is considering how to compensate thousands of victims of a state-sponsored sterilization program that lasted until the 1970s. Rationalization for eugenics ranged from protecting offspring of mentally disabled parents to improving overall health. To learn how and why N.C.'s eugenics board did what they did, host Michel Martin speaks with retired psychologist Mary Kilburn, who administered IQ tests on those deemed appropriate for sterilization by N.C.'s Social Services.

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MICHEL MARTIN, host: I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News.

We're going to ask a question we've asked before: What about the women of Afghanistan? President Obama last night spoke about the withdrawal of tens of thousands of U.S. troops from the country. We want to ask what effect that drawdown may or may not have on the status of women there. We're going to have that conversation in a few minutes.

But first, a new look at a dark chapter in American history: eugenics programs that existed in a number of states. And this might be a good time to mention that this conversation might not be appropriate for all listeners. So that being said, thousands of people were forcibly sterilized in North Carolina. It was happening there up until 1974.

Certain were deemed by the state unfit to reproduce, some because they were mentally ill or had epilepsy, some because they had been teenage mothers, survivors of rape or incest. Some had low IQs, and some were gay.

Yesterday, North Carolina lawmakers heard testimony from people who were affected by the sterilization program. They're considering compensation for the victims. Here is one of the witnesses they heard, Elaine Riddick. She was forcibly sterilized at the age of 14.

(SOUNDBITE OF TESTIMONY)

ELAINE RIDDICK: I have to get out what State of North Carolina did to me. I am not feeble-minded. I've never been feeble-minded. They slandered me. They ridiculed and harassed me. They cut me open like I was a hog.

MARTIN: That's from member station WFAE in Charlotte. To hear a unique perspective on the functioning of the now defunct eugenics board within North Carolina's medical system, we've called upon a therapist who worked during its existence and, in fact, recalls recommending at least two patients for sterilization.

Movement seeks to tell stories of sexual violence in Holocaust ...

Summary of story from CNN , June 24, 2011

While many are aware of the horrific crimes that took place during the Holocaust, some scholars and activists say stories of sexual violence are often overlooked.

Today’s news about rape as a weapon of war looks at stories of sexual violence in the Congo, former Yugoslavia and Libya, but it was also used during the Holocaust, more than 50 years before the UN declared rape a weapon of war.

Yet it’s rarely discussed. A growing movement wants to peel back that rug. Scholars are revisiting old testimonies and documents — and seeking new ones. Authors have published works to inspire conversation.

Psychologists want to help survivors heal from their secrets. Activists, including feminist writer and organizer Gloria Steinem, hope these victims of the distant past can help shape a better future.

A spotlight on this dark subject was switched on with the late 2010 publication of a landmark book bearing a straightforward but telling title, “Sexual Violence against Jewish Women during the Holocaust” (see WVoN story).

The interdisciplinary anthology touches on everything from rape, forced prostitution and sterilizations to psychological trauma, gender identity issues and depictions of violence in the arts.

Co-edited by Sonja Hedgepeth and Rochelle Saidel, it is believed to be the first book in English to focus exclusively on this subject.

These two women hope their book will spark serious discussion and exploration. But it resulted, at least in part, from an effort to keep them silent.

While running a workshop for teachers five years ago at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, the pair raised the subject of sexual violence against Jewish women.

When Saidel — author of the book “The Jewish Women of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp” — mentioned rape at that camp, a leading Holocaust scholar interrupted her.

“You can’t say that. … Where’s the proof?” Saidel remembers the man saying. “He continued to repeat this every time I ran into him.” Saidel declined to name him.

She and Hedgepeth had been meeting younger scholars tackling this issue around the world, in the United States, Israel, Austria and Germany. They knew rape testimonies were on record. They thought if some scholars objected to their work, there likely were reasons they should continue.

Women in the Holocaust

Women in the holocaust, a collection of testimonies

Women in the Holocaust, responses, insights and perspectives

Women in the Holocaust, The Memoirs of Ruth Kluger, Cordelia Edvardson, and Judith Magyar Isaacson

Women in the Holocaust, a collection of testimonies