North Carolina sterilization victims urge fair compensation

By Renee Elder Associated Press | Last updated: Jul 28, 2011 - 4:29:18 PM

'Nationwide, there were more than 60,000 known victims of sterilization programs, with perhaps another 40,000 sterilized through “unofficial” channels like hospitals or local health departments working on their own initiative.'

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina sterilization victims and their families gave impassioned pleas to the Governor's Eugenics Compensation Task Force in July after listening to a wide-ranging discussion on potential award amounts in the $10,000 to $20,000 range.

Lela Dunston of Wake County, who was sterilized at age 13, was among several in the audience who asked to speak to the task force July 13 as it tried to wrap up its two-hour meeting.

“Look into your hearts,” Ms. Dunston urged the panel.

“Twenty-thousand-dollars ain't enough for me. It ain't enough for the rest of these victims either.”

Task force chairwoman Laura Gerald said that the meeting was the first chance members have had to jointly discuss preliminary recommendations, due to Gov. Beverly Purdue by Aug. 1.

Several victims and their family members spoke at a public hearing in June, but public comments were not a part of the agenda.

Nevertheless, Ms. Gerald recognized several audience members who asked to speak, including N.C. Rep. Larry Womble, D-Rep. Winston-Salem, who has authored a bill seeking compensation for the victims.

Rep. Womble said the $20,000 included in his proposed legislation was just a “place holder” and that he would prefer to see more funds provided to compensate victims.

The task force estimated that at the $20,000 level, the state would need to pay out $60 million to the nearly 3,000 victims who may still be living.

More than 7,600 individuals were sterilized in the state under the eugenics program that ended in 1977 and largely targeted individuals who were young, poor, uneducated, mentally ill or Black. Some victims were as young as 10.

The five task force members agreed on the need for monetary compensation, along with potential additional services like mental health counseling and other benefits, such as state income tax waivers.

But the panel expressed little support for compensating families of deceased victims, a position that drew a strong reaction from Australia Clay, daughter of a sterilization victim

“My mother's dead and gone, but we're here,” said Ms. Clay, who was accompanied to the meeting by a sister and niece.

Ms. Clay asked to have her objection included in the official meeting records.

“Put in there that we disagree that only living victims should get compensation,” she said.

Ms. Gerald noted that the issue of compensation is “one of the toughest tasks we have before us” and stressed that details of any potential awards remain in flux.

Task force member Lenwood Davis said he fears the state's current budget shortfall could derail the entire compensation process if too large a figure is sought.

“Some victims implied that they'd like to have something rather than nothing,” Rep. Davis said.

Rep. Womble urged the task force to make its recommendations “straightforward and powerful” and without regard to how the state is going to come up with the funds.

“You are not supposed to find the money, that's the legislature's job,” he said.

He said victims have told him they think the state is delaying compensation so that fewer people will be alive when the payments go out.

“I've been waiting on this for 10 years and I hope it's not going to be 20 more, and we have to say: There's nothing we can do because they're all dead.”

Ms. Gerald said the panel would continue developing its preliminary recommendations and have them ready to present to the governor's office by the Aug. 1 deadline.

“The task force has not yet decided these things, and we have six months, at least, to complete our recommendations,” Ms. Gerald said.

Nationwide, there were more than 60,000 known victims of sterilization programs, with perhaps another 40,000 sterilized through “unofficial” channels like hospitals or local health departments working on their own initiative.

Other states have joined North Carolina in apologizing for past eugenics programs, but none have put together a plan to compensate victims of involuntary sterilization. (AP)

The Final Call