1907 Indiana Eugenics Law
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JimHoney
N 39° 46.171 W 086° 09.815
16S E 571636 N 4402510
1907 Indiana Eugenics Law
Located at East lawn of the Indiana State Library, 140 N. Senate Ave, Indianapolis.
Waymark Code: WM1GT0
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 05/06/2007
Views: 112
By late 1800s, Indiana authorities believed criminality, mental problems, and pauperism were hereditary. Various laws were enacted based on this belief. In 1907, Governor J. Frank Hanly approved first state eugenics law making sterilization mandatory for certain individuals in state custody. Sterilizations halted 1909 by Governor Thomas R. Marshall.
Indiana Supreme Court ruled 1907 law unconstitutional 1921, citing denial of due process under Fourteenth Amendment. A 1927 law provided for appeals in the courts. Approximately 2,500 people in state custody were sterilized. Governor Otis R. Bowen approved repeal of all sterilization laws 1974; by 1977, related restrictive marriage laws repealed.
County: Marion
Year Placed: 2007
Name: 1907 Indiana Eugenics Law
ID#: 49.2007.1
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