Forced Sterilization and the Ethics of Reproductive Health on the Navajo Nation
Abigail Hammonds
Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University
Keywords: Forced sterilization, Reproductive ethics, Navajo Nation, Women's Health, Medical authority
Abstract
Across the twentieth century, Indigenous women were subjected to sterilization within medical systems that claimed to provide care. These interventions were shaped by colonial power and racial hierarchies, enabling the state to assert authority over reproduction while frequently denying women meaningful consent (Theobald, 2019). Historical records and survivor testimony show that the loss of reproductive capacity reshaped families and communities in lasting ways (Chaparro-Buitrago, 2022). On the Navajo Nation, where reproduction is embedded in ceremonial life, kinship systems, and intergenerational survival, this history carries distinct ethical significance (Wright, 1982). Placing this history alongside contemporary reproductive health systems reveals that ethical care on the Navajo Nation must address not only past abuses but also present institutional structures that continue to shape reproductive choice, access, and authority.
