{"id":447888,"date":"2026-03-12T00:00:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T05:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=447888"},"modified":"2026-03-12T12:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T17:17:41","slug":"native-america-calling-confronting-a-past-of-forced-sterilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/03\/12\/native-america-calling-confronting-a-past-of-forced-sterilization\/","title":{"rendered":"Native America Calling: Confronting forced sterilization of Native women"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"card mb-2\">\r\n  <div class=\"row\">\r\n    <div class=\"col-md-4 align-self-center\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/nativeamericacalling.jpg\" class=\"img-fluid\" alt=\"native america calling\"\/>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"col-md-8\">\r\n      <div class=\"card-body\">\r\n        <div class=\"h5-responsive card-title\">Native America Calling<\/div>\r\n        <div>\r\n           Listen to Native America Calling every weekday at 1pm Eastern.\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <div>\r\n          <!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\r\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-1859-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/playerservices.streamtheworld.com\/api\/livestream-redirect\/NV1.mp3\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/playerservices.streamtheworld.com\/api\/livestream-redirect\/NV1.mp3\">http:\/\/playerservices.streamtheworld.com\/api\/livestream-redirect\/NV1.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>\r\n\t\t\tAlternate Links: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nv1.org\/\">Native Voice One<\/a> |\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativeamericacalling.com\/\">NAC<\/a>\r\n\t\t\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Thursday, March 12, 2026<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativeamericacalling.com\/\"><i class=\"fas fa-link fa-xs\"><\/i> nativeamericacalling.com<\/a>\r\n&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nativeamericacalling\/\"><i class=\"fab fa-instagram fa-xs\"><\/i> nativeamericacalling<\/a>\r\n&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nativeamericacalling\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook fa-xs\"><\/i> nativeamericacalling<\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Confronting a past of forced sterilization\r\n<\/div>\r\nNew Mexico is taking on an investigation into the sterilization of Native American women through coercion, deception, or by merely carrying out procedures entirely without consent.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n The state is mainly looking at time in the 1970s following the establishment of the federal Office of Population Affairs and a policy change that increased reimbursements for outside doctors contracting with Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities for each procedure. Native Americans were included in groups targeted for sterilizations because of the false impression they were less intelligent and that they were not as productive members of society as other groups. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIn 10 years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niwrc.org\/restoration-magazine\/november-2020\/past-and-current-united-states-policies-forced-sterilization\">Native American birth rates were more than halved<\/a>. Other states and Canada have broached the topic of forced sterilization that tried to formalize racist policies in the name of public health.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n New Mexico is the first to take aim at the role IHS clinics played in carrying out the policies.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/03\/12\/native-america-calling-confronting-a-past-of-forced-sterilization\/sterilizationpamphlet\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-447894\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1327\" height=\"818\" data-attachment-id=\"447894\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/03\/12\/native-america-calling-confronting-a-past-of-forced-sterilization\/sterilizationpamphlet\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12\/SterilizationPamphlet.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1327,818\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Sterilization Pamphlet\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;A pamphlet produced by the predecessor agency to the Department of Health and Human Services encouraged Native women to bear less children. Image: &lt;a href=https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pamphlet_for_Sterilization.jpg&gt;U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A pamphlet produced by the predecessor agency to the Department of Health and Human Services encouraged Native women to bear less children. Image: &lt;a href=https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pamphlet_for_Sterilization.jpg&gt;U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12\/SterilizationPamphlet.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12\/SterilizationPamphlet.jpg\" alt=\"Sterilization Pamphlet\"   class=\"size-full wp-image-447894\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> A pamphlet produced by the predecessor agency to the Department of Health and Human Services encouraged Native women to bear less children. Image: <a href=https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pamphlet_for_Sterilization.jpg>U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Guests on Native America Calling<\/div>\r\nElena Giacci (Din\u00e9), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmlegis.gov\/Sessions\/17%20Regular\/memorials\/senate\/SM041.html\">historical trauma trainer and anti-sexual violence advocate<\/a>, <a href=https:\/\/www.ofra.nm.gov\/commission\/elena-giacci\/>member<\/a> of <a href=https:\/\/www.ofra.nm.gov\/commission\/>New Mexico Office of Family Representation and Advocacy Oversight Commission<\/a>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nJosett Monette (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), cabinet secretary for the  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iad.nm.gov\/\">New Mexico Indian Affairs Department<\/a>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nJean Whitehorse (Din\u00e9)\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/show\/4RE6juPYr7cl2Zsmb2zjq7?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"232\" frameBorder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\"><\/iframe>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">All Episodes on <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4RE6juPYr7cl2Zsmb2zjq7?si=2a56e59533534bf9\">Spotify<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativeamericacalling.com\/subscribe-to-podcast\/\">More Options<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Mexico is taking on an investigation into the sterilization of Native women through coercion, deception and without consent.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":447894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,19,1],"tags":[7230,210,7231,4517,243,133,167,47,61,134,44],"class_list":["post-447888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canada","category-health","category-national","tag-elena-giacci","tag-ihs","tag-jean-whitehorse","tag-josett-monette","tag-media","tag-native-america-calling","tag-new-mexico","tag-race","tag-racism","tag-radio","tag-women","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12\/SterilizationPamphlet.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-1Sw0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447888"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":447899,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447888\/revisions\/447899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}