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Home Virginia Ablemarle County Charlottesville Historical Markers Buck v. Bell (2)

Buck v. Bell (2)

Preston Ave, Charlottesville, VA , USA

Latitude & Longitude: 38° 2' 12.147144", -78° 29' 18.190212"
  Virginia VA State Historical Marker
Virginia State
Historical Marker

 
In 1924, Virginia, like a majority of states then, enacted eugenic sterilization laws. Virginia's law allowed state institutions to operate on individuals to prevent the conception of what were believed to be genetically inferior children. Charlottesville native Carrie Buck (1906-1983), involuntarily committed to a state facility near Lynchburg, was chosen as the first person to be sterilized under the new law. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Buck v. Bell, on 2 May 1927, affirmed the Virginia law. After Buck more than 8,000 other Virginians were sterilized before the most relevant parts of the act were repealed in 1974. Later evidence eventually showed that Buck and many others had no hereditary defects. She is buried south of here.

Last updated: 2/14/2015 15:17:00
 
   
 
 
Buck v. Bell (2) Historical Marker Location Map, Charlottesville, Virginia Map