Sweden: History of forced sterilizations exposed

Off Our Backs, Oct 1997

STOCKHOLM--Publicity is revealing to the world that thousands of learning disabled and other women deemed "unfit" were sterilized against their will in Sweden -- until the 1970's, even under Social Democratic governments. The goal was eugenics -- to have a "fit" populace. About 60,000 women were sterilized from 1935 to 1976. They were categorized as "unfit" because of learning disabilities, poverty, of non-Nordic ethnicity.

People knew about the forced sterilizations at the time, but only now are many journalists and others speaking out about it.

Austria and Denmark also have a past that includes forced sterilizations of retarded women, according to The Washington Post -- as of course does the United States.

--info from The Washington Post