Indiana Eugenics Law Marker

Indiana Eugenics Law Marker

Institutions

An historical marker observing the centenary of Indiana’s 1907 landmark sterilization law, and acknowledging Indiana's role in the sterilization of its institutionalized citizens. The marker is located at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis.
Inscription, Marker Front:
By late 1800s, Indiana authorities believed criminality, mental problems, and pauperism were hereditary. Various laws were enacted based on this belief. In 1907, Governor J. Frank Hanly approved first state eugenics law making sterilization mandatory for certain individuals in state custody. Sterilizations halted 1909 by Governor Thomas R. Marshall.
Inscription, Marker Reverse:
Indiana Supreme Court ruled 1907 law unconstitutional 1921, citing denial of due process under Fourteenth Amendment. A 1927 law provided for appeals in the courts. Approximately 2,500 people in state custody were sterilized. Governor Otis R. Bowen approved repeal of all sterilization laws 1974; by 1977, related restrictive marriage laws repealed.

2013-02-23

Gbauer8946 - photographer

By Gbauer8946 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

image/jpeg

English

Still Image

054-si

Open to all users

Indiana, Marion County, Indianapolis

1907 - 2007