The Huffington Post delves into the United States eugenics movement and how it targeted the so-called “mentally ill” or “mentally deficient” during the twentieth century. By forcibly sterilizing patients within psychiatric care the state sent the message that reproduction within this group was harmful and in need of control. The stigma of this movement remains today in the distorted perceptions of consumers of behavioral health and their parental abilities. Access the full article here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sterilization-united-states_n_568f35f2e4b0c8beacf68713
To read more about how the eugenics movement affected Americans more broadly, PBS offers an in depth look at the following link: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/unwanted-sterilization-and-eugenics-programs-in-the-united-states/