TORONTO (AP) — Decades after many other rich countries stopped forcibly sterilizing Indigenous women, numerous activists, doctors, politicians and at least five class-action lawsuits say the practice has not ended in Canada.
There are no solid estimates on how many women are still being sterilized against their will or without their knowledge, but Indigenous experts say they regularly hear complaints about it. Sen. Yvonne Boyer, whose office is collecting the limited data available, says at least 12,000 women have been affected since the 1970s.
It’s crazy that is was so recent in 2019.
There are more horrific accounts in the article that can’t be summarized into something short, but here’s another:
Dr. Alika Lafontaine, the first Indigenous president of the Canadian Medical Association, recalls times in his own training when it was unclear whether Indigenous women had agreed to sterilization.
“In my residency, there were situations where we would do C-sections on patients and someone would lean over and say, ‘So we’ll also clip her (fallopian) tubes,’” he said. “It never crossed my mind whether these patients had an informed conversation” about sterilization, he said, adding he assumed that had happened before patients were on the operating table.
So messed up.
What the heck?! How is this still happening in Canada. I would’ve thought most of the docs here would’ve been run out of town on a rail for doing something like this.
Agree with the sanctions comment. Make it hurt for our gov to tolerate this bullshit.
What do you mean the Canadian government tolerates it? Sterilization is illegal and prosecutable under Canadian criminal law, and the article cites the recent Senate report condemning the practice.
If there were 12000 bank robberies or murders which were all related, I doubt we would still have the same string of illegal activity happening.
Making something is Criminal, illegal or condemned won’t stop it, there needs to actually consequences that occur. There a bunch of people that need some severe repercussions if we expect this stop.
because indigenous people are not people in the eyes of authorities
I grew up being told about how progressive and awesome Canada is. As I reached adulthood I realized what a crock of shit that was. This country is a disgrace, it doesn’t care about its people. I’m an adult now and I wonder where the hell is the greatness of Canada? Cause all I see is a government they doesn’t give a shit about its citizens and only worries about the citizens of other countries.
So to be consistent with the solar bans due to the Uyghur genocide we should sanction all energy products from Canada now, right?
People don’t like it, but you’re right. It is unacceptable in both cases.
While they’re both unacceptable, one action is officially sanctioned by the state, the other is a private action deemed illegal and prohibited. This poster appears to dilute that distinction.
We don’t have to be consistent about anything and facts can stand on their own. It isn’t like if I didn’t do the correct thing at one point in my life that I can never ever do the correct thing ever again.
Bad stuff is happening in Canada. Bad stuff is happening in many places. Independent facts.
