Misplaced Pages

Human Betterment Foundation

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

With significant post-war activity

#37962

29-653: Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 The Human Betterment Foundation ( HBF ) was an American eugenics organization established in Pasadena, California in 1928 by E. S. Gosney and Rufus B. von KleinSmid , President of the University of Southern California , with the aim "to foster and aid constructive and educational forces for the protection and betterment of the human family in body, mind, character, and citizenship". It primarily served to compile and distribute information about compulsory sterilization legislation in

58-458: Is hereby authorized to perform, or cause to be performed by some capable physicians or surgeon, the operation of sterilization on any such patient confined in such institution afflicted with hereditary forms of insanity that are recurrent, idiocy, imbecility, feeble-mindedness or epilepsy; provided that such superintendent shall have first complied with the requirements of this act.      2. Such superintendent shall first present to

87-541: Is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km ), or 4.86%, is water. As of the census of 2020, there were 3,064 people living in the CDP (down from 4,975 people in the year 2000). There were 967 households, and 753 families residing in the CDP. The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.47% White , 0.36% African American , 0.035% Native American , 3.88% Asian , 1.34% from other races , and 6.89% from two or more races. There were 1,753 households, out of which 38.8% had children under

116-422: The 2010 United States census , the CDP population was 5,070. Cold Spring Harbor was named after the naturally cold freshwater springs that flow in the area. Its economy mainly tied to milling and port activities, it rose in prominence as a whaling community in the mid-nineteenth century. After the decline of whaling in the 1860s, it became a resort town with several hotels. In the 20th century it became known as

145-711: The Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium (also in Laurel Hollow), Dolan DNA Learning Center, the Uplands Farm Sanctuary (home of The Nature Conservancy 's Long Island chapter), and a museum exhibition gallery run by Preservation Long Island . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km ), of which 3.7 square miles (9.6 km )

174-474: The General Assembly of Virginia in 1988 and amended in 2013, provides the procedural requirements necessary for a physician to lawfully sterilize a patient capable of giving informed consent and incapable of giving informed consent. A physician may perform a sterilization procedure on a patient if the patient is capable of giving informed consent, the patient consents to the procedure in writing, and

203-604: The Stanford-Binet test of IQ ); Robert Andrews Millikan (Chair of the Executive Council of Caltech ); William B. Munro (a Harvard professor of political science); and University of California, Berkeley professors Herbert M. Evans (anatomy) and Samuel J. Holmes (zoology). After Gosney's death in 1942, Gosney's daughter Lois Castle and the HBF's board liquidated HBF. Its funds were transferred in 1943 to

232-916: The Assembly agreed to compensate individuals sterilized under the act. During the early 20th century, Harry H. Laughlin, director of the Eugenics Record Office at Cold Spring Harbor, New York , became concerned that states were not enforcing their eugenics laws. In 1922, he published his book, Eugenical Sterilization in the United States , which included a "MODEL EUGENICAL STERILIZATION LAW" in Chapter XV. By 1924, 15 states had enacted similar legislation; however, unlike Virginia, many or most or all of those states failed to rigidly enforce their laws requiring specific qualities in all persons seeking to marry. Forced sterilization, however,

261-417: The CDP was $ 52,403. About 1.3% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over. Residents of Cold Spring Harbor fall into one of two library districts, Cold Spring Harbor and Huntington, each of which correspond to their respective school district. Cold Spring Harbor State Park is located here. Cold Spring Harbor

290-573: The United States, for the purposes of eugenics. The initial board of trustees were Gosney, Henry Mauris Robinson (a Los Angeles banker); George Dock (a Pasadena physician); Charles Goethe (a Sacramento philanthropist); Justin Miller (dean of the college of law at the University of Southern California ); Otis Castle (a Los Angeles attorney); Joe G. Crick (a Pasadena horticulturist); and biologist/eugenicist Paul Popenoe . Later members included Lewis Terman (a Stanford psychologist best known for creating

319-677: The University of Southern California similarly removed the name of von KleinSmid from campus buildings on account of his association with eugenics; he had served as President there for more than 25 years. Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 The Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 was a U.S. state law in Virginia for the sterilization of institutionalized persons "afflicted with hereditary forms of insanity that are recurrent, idiocy, imbecility, feeble-mindedness or epilepsy”. It greatly influenced

SECTION 10

#1732765493038

348-769: The Virginia Eugenical Sterilization Act and who were living as of February 1, 2015." If the person died on or after February 1, 2015, a claim may be submitted by the estate or personal representative of the person who died. Cold Spring Harbor, New York Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington , in Suffolk County , on the North Shore of Long Island in New York . As of

377-418: The age of 18 living with them, 71.8% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.15. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under

406-461: The age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 101,122, and the median income for a family was $ 112,441. Males had a median income of $ 78,984 versus $ 44,464 for females. The per capita income for

435-710: The bill did not get past the Appropriations committee in either year. In 2015, Patrick A. Hope reintroduced the Justice for Victims of Sterilization Act, and although the Act did not get past the Appropriations committee, an amendment was added to the budget bill to give compensation of up to $ 25,000 per person who was "involuntarily sterilized pursuant to the Virginia Eugenical Sterilization Act." The legislature authorized compensation of up to $ 25,000 per claim to provide compensation for individuals sterilized "pursuant to

464-506: The development of eugenics in the twentieth century. The act was based on model legislation written by Harry H. Laughlin and challenged by a case that led to the United States Supreme Court decision of Buck v. Bell . The Supreme Court upheld the law as constitutional and it became a model law for sterilization laws in other states. Justice Holmes wrote that a patient may be sterilized "on complying with

493-812: The general assembly of Virginia, That whenever the superintendent of the Western State Hospital, or of the Eastern State Hospital, or of the Southwestern State Hospital, or of the Central State Hospital, or the State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded , shall be of opinion that it is for the best interests of the patients and of society that any inmate of the institution under his care should be sexually sterilized, such superintendent

522-540: The inmate of his institution named in such petition, the operation of vasectomy if upon a male and of salpingectomy if upon a female.      A copy of said petition must be served upon the inmate together with a notice in writing designating the time and place in the said institution, not less than thirty days before the presentation of such petition to said special board of directors when and where said board may hear and act upon such petition — Virginia General Assembly , March 20, 1924 An act, passed by

551-728: The newly founded Gosney Research Fund at Caltech. The archives of the Human Betterment Foundation are stored at Caltech. On account of Millikan's affiliation with the Human Betterment Foundation, in January 2021, the Caltech Board of Trustees authorized removal of Millikan's and Gosney's names (and the names of four other historical figures affiliated with the Foundation), from campus buildings that had been associated with their other achievements. In June 2020,

580-460: The operation of vasectomy and in females by the operation of salpingectomy, both of which said operations may be performed without serious pain or substantial danger to the life of the patient, and      Whereas, the Commonwealth has in custodial care and is supporting in various State institutions many defective persons who if now discharged or paroled would likely become by

609-521: The patient's mental disability renders the patient permanently unable to care for a child, and the procedure conforms with medical standards. In February 2001, the Virginia General Assembly passed a joint resolution , introduced by Mitchell Van Yahres , expressing regret for Virginia's experience with eugenics. In the 2002 session, Van Yahres introduced a joint resolution honoring the memory of Carrie Buck. This joint resolution

SECTION 20

#1732765493038

638-402: The physician explains the consequences of the procedure and alternative methods of contraception. A court may authorize a physician to perform a sterilization on a mentally incompetent adult or child after the procedural requirements are met and the court finds with clear and convincing evidence the patient is or is likely to engage sexual activity, no other contraceptive is reasonably available,

667-454: The propagation of their kind a menace to society but who if incapable of procreating might properly and safely be discharged or paroled and become self-supporting with benefit both to themselves and to society, and      Whereas, human experience has demonstrated that heredity plays an important part in the transmission of sanity, idiocy, imbecility, epilepsy and crime, now, therefore      1. Be it enacted by

696-423: The sexual sterilization of inmates of State institutions in certain cases. [S B 281]      Whereas, both the health of the individual patient and the welfare of society may be promoted in certain cases by the sterilization of mental defectives under careful safeguard and by competent and conscientious authority, and      Whereas, such sterilization may be effected in males by

725-577: The site of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory , although the laboratory itself is located in the adjacent village of Laurel Hollow in Nassau County , which was called Cold Spring before incorporation. Today it is primarily a bedroom community of New York City , with a small central business area running along Route 25A, and is home to many educational and cultural organizations: the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum ,

754-403: The special board of directors of his hospital or colony a petition stating the facts of the case and the grounds of his opinion, verified by his affidavit to the best of his knowledge and belief, and praying that an order may be entered by said board requiring him to perform or have performed by some competent physician to be designated by him in his said petition or by said board in its order, upon

783-437: The very careful provisions by which the act protects the patients from possible abuse." Between 1924 and 1979, Virginia sterilized over 7,000 individuals under the act. The act was never declared unconstitutional; however, in 2001, the Virginia General Assembly passed a joint resolution apologizing for the misuse of "a respectable, 'scientific' veneer to cover activities of those who held blatantly racist views." In 2015,

812-457: Was much more common. By 1956, twenty-four states had laws providing for involuntary sterilization on their books. These states collectively reported having forcibly sterilized 59,000 people over the preceding 50 years. Virginia implemented Laughlin's "Model Eugenical Sterilization Law" with little modification two years after it was published. An emergency existing, this act shall be enforced from its passage. Chap. 394. - An ACT to provide for

841-620: Was passed by the House and Senate in February 2002. In the same year, Bob Marshall , introduced a joint resolution referencing the 2001 eugenics resolution and calling for the establishment of a subcommittee to study issues related to stem cell research; however, this resolution did not pass the Rules committee. In 2013 and 2014, Marshall introduced the Justice for Victims of Sterilization Act to give compensation for up to $ 50,000 per person; however,

#37962