New Mexico to investigate forced sterilization of Native women

New Mexico lawmakers have approved a measure directing the state Indian Affairs Department and the Commission on the Status of Women to examine the history, scope and continuing impact of forced and coerced sterilizations of women of color by the Indian Health Service and other providers, according to The Associated Press. The findings are due to the governor by the end of 2027.

According to The Associated Press, in the 1970s the federal agency that provides health care to Native Americans sterilized thousands of women without their full and informed consent. A 1976 U.S. Government Accountability Office report found the Indian Health Service sterilized 3,406 women in four of its 12 service areas between 1973 and 1976. “It’s important for New Mexico to understand the atrocities that took place within the borders of our state,” state Sen. Linda Lopez, a sponsor of the legislation, was quoted as saying.