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Forced Sterilization Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: A group is collecting testimonials from Indigenous and Black women who were subjected to forced sterilizations while in Quebec hospitals.
- Why: Black and Indigenous women have allegedly been subjected to forced sterilizations while giving birth in hospitals in Canada.
- Where: Forced sterilization has been documented in provinces across Canada.
Black and Indigenous women have allegedly been subjected to forced sterilization while giving birth in hospitals in Quebec and other provinces across Canada.
A group consisting of Indigenous researchers, health-care providers, and women’s groups, among others, are asking for First Nation and Inuit women from Quebec to come forward with their own stories of forced sterilization.
Forced sterilization — the practice of sterilizing someone without their knowledge or full consent — has been documented in provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, but the group says there is a “lack of relevant data,” in Quebec, reports Radio-Canada.
Sterilization was legal in the provinces of Alberta and BC between the 1930s to the early 1970s, reports Radio-Canada, but the practice happened “informally,” across Canada and is still happening today.
Forced Sterilization Victims Organize Class Action Lawsuit
A proposed multi-province class action lawsuit has already been set in motion in response to documented cases of forced sterilization, while the Quebec group is reportedly considering joining the existing class action lawsuit or starting their own once they finish collecting testimonials, reports Radio-Canada.
One Indigenous woman told CBC News she had no memory of being asked for consent before being sterilized in a Quebec hospital, and was “shocked,” when she found out about the procedure months later. Another says a doctor told her they were going to “tie her tubes,” because she had had too many children by C-section, and, despite her resistance, performed the procedure anyway.
Marjolaine Sioui, director general of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission, said in a statement that it is important for women to be heard and for others to know what has happened to them.
“I hope that the wall of silence will be broken, because women will finally be listened to,” Sioui said. “The research will provide a portrait of what some of these women have been through in hospitals, and finally make the truth known.”
Are you an Black or Indigenous woman who was subjected to forced sterilization? Let us know in the comments!
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