In the early years of the twentieth century, authorities in the United States became obsessed with a belief that the “racial stock” of the country was in decline. By the 1930s, more than half the states had enacted eugenic sterilization laws giving states the right to forcibly sterilize citizens they deemed “unfit” to reproduce.

This haunting film tells the story of the Lynchburg Colony for the Epileptic and Feebleminded in Virginia where, between 1927 and 1972, more than eight thousand children and young teenagers were forcibly sterilized. The state claimed they had hereditary defects that would be passed on to their potential offspring, but in truth most were simply poor, ill-educated, and considered a financial burden on the state. Through interviews, sterilization victims tell of the devastating impact on their lives.

In a broader context, the sterilization law declared constitutional in the US in 1927 became the basis of Hitler's eugenics program, as sterilization gave way to killing undesirables. The film explores the ties of Dr. Harry Laughli, the American biologist who drafted the US legislation, to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, and the evolution of the frightening practice of sterilization.

"A powerful tale and a distinguished contribution to social archaeology."
‒The Independent

"This thought provoking, if unsavory, slice of US history will spark discussion on ethics and personal rights."
‒Booklist

Certificate of Merit, San Francisco International Film Festival, 1994
Banff Television Fest., 1994
Medianet, 1994