Condemning Unwanted, Unnecessary Medical Procedures on Individuals Without Their Full, Informed Consent

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Congresswoman Jayapal's resolution to condemn unwanted and unnecessary medical procedures without the full, informed consent of individuals.

From the 1930s to the 1970s, Puerto Rican women were sterilized in order to control population growth. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, anti-immigrant sentiment resulted in the highest number of recorded state-sanctioned sterilizations of Mexican women in California.

Now, in 2020, we learn of allegations that immigrant women in ICE custody are being subjected to forced hysterectomies.

The stories we have heard from Georgia's Irwin County Detention Center are horrendous but, sadly, not new. They are a reminder of our country's dark history of forcing women of color to be sterilized.

Robbing Black and Brown women of full autonomy over their bodies and reproductive freedoms is white supremacy in action. In any other country, we would denounce these horrific incidents as violations of human rights.

I stand with my colleagues in strong support of the resolution to condemn these atrocities and hold those involved accountable.

I am disgusted but not surprised. This administration has dehumanized immigrants time and time again. Those seeking asylum have been stripped of their dignity, and some are now scarred for life. This is a violation of human rights, a violation of human dignity, and an atrocious violation of privacy and safety.

What happened in Georgia is criminal and must be condemned so that it may never happen again. I strongly urge adoption of this resolution.

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