Documentary: The Sterilization of Leilani Muir Flashcards
Who is Leilani Muir?
Surgically sterilized Alberta resident.
Can the sterilization be undone?
No.
Sterilization was a practice that was highly illegal and conducted under the radar. True or false?
False. It was legislated.
What does eugenics mean?
Well born.
Galton decided that controlled breeding improves farm animals and plants…
So it should be applied to humans as well.
The idea behind eugenics in Alberta was to prevent ___ people from breeding.
Inferior.
What kinds of people were sterilized in Alberta?
Mentally defective, those with emotional problems, criminals, and the poor.
Leilani Muir was rated to have the IQ of 64, and was labelled a…
Moron.
Leilani Muir’s IQ always stayed the same. True or false?
False, it rose from 64 to 90-101.
Who came up with the IQ test?
Alfred Binet.
The IQ test was brought to America by ___.
Goddard.
How was the IQ test perverted?
It became a hard heredity test to defend against “inferior breeding stock.”
How were photographs altered to give the sterilized a different look?
They were made to look more sinister, or were given a blank gaze.
Eugenicists believed that babies ___ their parents’ deficiencies.
Inherit.
Most of the patients in the mental institutions were Canadians. True or false?
False, they were mostly from outside of the country.
Which female figure was responsible for pushing ahead sterilization laws, after whom there is a park named in the Edmonton river valley?
Emily Murphy.
The conflation of ___ and ___ led to sterilization laws.
Science, morality.
What year did sexual sterilization become law?
1928.
Was consent ever sought in sterilization cases?
Yes, in early years it was. However, punishment for not consenting was extraordinarily harsh.
The eugenics board was made up of…
2 medical personnel and 2 laymen.
What were the 2 questions asked by the eugenics board?
- Would they make good parents?
2. Would they transmit biological defects?
Testicular Biopsy
An especially harsh technique that came about when the government started sterilizing men with Down Syndrome, who are already sterile.
When were sterilization laws repealed?
1972.
Who repealed the sterilization laws?
Peter Lougheed.
Do mentally deficient people put a significant strain on society?
No.
Were supporters of sexual sterilization immoral?
No. It was unethical, but “the road to hell is paved by good people.”
How many people were sterilized in total?
2822 people.
What was the outcome of the Leilani Muir case?
Awarded close to 750 000 dollars.
Did those that approved of eugenics repent?
Not really.
What are the 2 schools of thought that emerge from things like eugenics or apartheid?
- Moral.
2. Economic.
