Mass sterilization of women in Puerto Rico - Essay Example

? Mass Sterilization of Puerto Rican Women Sterilization is a medical terminology, which refers to the removal of women’s ability to reproduce or give birth to a child. This essay would discuss mass sterilization of Puerto Rican women during 1930 to 1970 and would review how United States of America influenced the whole process. While doing the essay, the author would focus on why women of Puerto Rico were sterilized against their own will, why US was so keen in reducing the population of Puerto Rico, its material and technical benefits and how rights of Puerto Rican women were violated. Additionally, the essay would also take into account how the drug testing on Puerto Rican women was against humanity. When Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship of United States of America in 1917, the Congress started to make amendments in the constitution and passed bills that somehow meant to control the lifestyle of Puerto Ricans. In collaboration with health sector and USA’s Government, Puerto Rican government initiated a mass sterilization program for its women, called “la opercion”, i.e. the operation. The mass sterilization program was initiated, keeping in view the uncontrolled population of the country, prevailing financial crisis, governments inability to produce jobs for the general public to control unemployment and below par life standard of the nation. After a thorough research carried out by doctors and scientists of USA, it was found that the increasing size of the country’s population is the cause behind all problems. Despite the fact that sexual desire among Puerto Rican population was high at that time, it is of critical importance that the country also prohibited use of contraceptives due to the major religious belief, i.e. catholic studies. It was until before late 1930s that the Congress developed legal frameworks, which gave contraceptives and their usage, a legal status in Puerto Rico (De Malave). Puerto Rico is a small Island in South America, and as soon as USA got hold of it, it was aware that the ever-increasing population would cause uncountable problems in the future. USA oversaw the economic and social destruction that the increasing population would cause. In this scenario, it became pivotal for US’s administrators in Puerto Rico to initiate a program for mass sterilization of women. In order to make achievement of aims and objectives of the operation easier, an NGO inaugurated and operated around 23 birth control clinics. In addition to this, a bill was passed through Puerto Rican parliament, which facilitated the marketing of contraceptives. In addition to this, another 159 clinics were opened in different parts of Puerto Rico by passing another legislative bill. The bill also empowered Department of Health in Puerto Rico to conduct sensitization sessions with the population, to educate them about contraceptives and where are the clinics, which may provide population, the pregnancy prevention methods. With such extensive efforts and hard work, around 33.8% of Puerto Rican women went into the sterilization process and gave up their ability to give birth (Carmen and Tietze). The type of sterilization operation that Puerto Rican women gone under was forced sterilization. These women were forced by Advocates, doctors and officials of the US government to go through sterilization operations in order to control the birth rate of the country and excel the country’s growth. Beside this forced sterilization, Puerto Rican women were also provided with birth control pills. These birth control pills proved to me more beneficial than sterilization because it was easy to use and easy to get, under the strict laws of Puerto Rico, which prevented the sale of these pills in clinics and dispensaries (Aviles and Yamila). This part of the analysis looks at the reasons why such operation was carried out in the first place. By controlling birth in Puerto Rico, United States aimed at improving the economic and financial landscape of the country. Previously, Puerto Rico was considered as being the most densely populated area in the world. The social structure of the country was near to destruction. This is because, not all of Puerto Rican children and youth had access to quality education. Whilst, they were not getting the education, they spent most of their time roaming around in the streets and indulging into anti-social activities. On the other hand, food and water shortage was creating massive problems for the government as the increasing population resulted in increasing demand for basic necessities. People were dying on the streets due to hunger and thirst. Another worst scenario was unavailability of quality health care facilities. There were some good health care facilities in the country, some of them owned privately and some of them publically. But these health care institutions were not sufficient enough to fulfill the demand of the local public and accommodate the majority of them (Rochat and Becerra). On economic and financial ground, Puerto Rico was stuck in a black hole, which prevented its economic cycle to move in any direction. Industries were collapsing, and people would find it very difficult to find a suitable job. The tribal areas were indulge into century old rivalries and were engaged in a civil war. Crime rate was touching peaks as people found it easier to kill someone for money then to find a decent job and make a fortune. Agricultural sector was not producing enough quantity of necessary commodities to fulfill the hunger of the local population. Another nightmare was the shortage of land space to accommodate Puerto Rican families. Most of them were living on the roadside and had no sanitization facilities. As a result, disease breakout was a normal thing in Puerto Rican society (Rochat and Becerra). All these problems of Puerto Rican society became a serious concern for the future of the country and increasing population was the main cause of it. People had no jobs to keep them busy or education to guide them through, what is right and what is wrong. But the question that most of the scholars ask about this sterilization operation is why USA was so keen in practically carrying out this operation? The American government as a source of cheap and quality labor force considered Puerto Rico. But the problem was, they were not educated or skilled so that they can be imported to USA and used in the economic growth and development of the country. Also, the US was afraid that if it imports work force from Puerto Rico, it would increase the crime rate in its own territory and would damage the social structure of America. In this fear, USA formulated the eugenic plan of carrying out a mass sterilization operation in Puerto Rico to control population at the first stage. In the second stage, the aim was to educate, train and equip Puerto Rican population with skills set. The third stage was to import this skilled and educated work force to United States so that it can be used in cheap rates and for long hours to stimulate the economic and financial growth of USA. It can be argued that this mass sterilization operation by the US definitely violated the reproductive rights of Puerto Rican women. This is because, the operation was a forced one and those women who wanted children in the future were deprived of their natural rights. They were used as test animals to test the authenticity of birth-controlling pills. From 1954 to 1956, American researchers and scientists used a large number of Puerto Rican women for the effectiveness of an oral birth-controlling pill so that they can receive medical certification for the market of this product. They were kept in dark about the bad affects of the pill and were easily accessible because the majority of them were living under the poverty line and had no education to support their arguments against the trail of this pill in the country. The drug trial started in 1955 with the launch of Envoid, A Searle’s product, which contained synthetic oral progesterone. The drug was found 100% effective with some side affects like vomiting, weakness, body pain and nausea. Despite of the alarming side effects that are mentioned in the above line, the drug was licensed to be marketed in Puerto Rican medical markets. As the women population of the country was unaware of the fact that they are being tested with the drug, they did not even know the side affects of the drug. As a result, a large number of women lost their reproductive ability permanently, whereas; another large number of women died because of the side affects. The American doctors and scientists who were designated to test the drug in Puerto Rico were found guilty of deceiving mass population of the country and exploitation of poor and uneducated masses. The eugenic mass sterilization program that was run by USA in Puerto Rico brought a number of genetic problems in the coming generation of the country. This sterilization program fulfilled the criteria of crimes against humanity prescribed by the International Criminal Country and exposed the dark side of Americans as violating basic rights of humanity by using illegal methods. To conclude the essay, the main idea gathered by the author of the essay is giving birth is a very personal God’s gifted ability and only women have the right to decide about whether they want to bear a child or not. If a country, government, society or a community prevents women from giving birth to a child, then they are committing a crime against humanity and crime against nature. When someone tries to go against the nature, it has always answered in destruction and complications. Therefore; the author would like to disagree with the philosophy of American government and scientists behind eugenic mass sterilization of Puerto Rican women as it was only their fundamental right whether or not to decide about losing their ability to give birth to children. Works Cited Aviles, L A and A V. Yamila. "Abortion in Puerto Rico: The Limits of Colonial Legality." Reproductive Health Matters 9 (1997): 56-65. Print. Carmen, Alvarado and C. Tietze. "Birth Control in Puerto Rico." Human Fertility 22.1 (1947): 15-17. Print. De Malave, Florita Z Louis. "Sterilization of Puerto Rican Women: A Selected, Partially Annotated Bibliography." May 1999. Web. 10 December 2013 . Rochat, R W and J. Becerra. "Sterilization Regret among Puerto Rican Women." Fertility and Sterility 6 (1988): 973-981. Print. Read More