ERASED
Buck v. Bell
274 U.S. 200 (1927) · 1927
The Court ruled states could forcibly sterilize persons deemed 'unfit.' It has never been overruled.
“Three generations of imbeciles are enough.”
The Ruling
8–1: Virginia's forced sterilization law is constitutional. The state may sterilize institutionalized persons deemed genetically 'unfit.'
The Personhood Argument Not Made
The state retained the legal category 'person' while emptying it of its most fundamental content — reproductive autonomy, bodily integrity, and the right to exist as a complete human being. Personhood without rights is not personhood. Buck v. Bell was the template for eugenics programs worldwide, including Nazi Germany, which explicitly cited it.
The Execution Gap Created
Buck v. Bell has never been overruled. Forced sterilizations of institutionalized and incarcerated women continued in the United States into the 21st century. The legal authority remains formally valid.
Primary sources & research
Related cases
Part of The Personhood Prism, the companion to The Execution Gap by Thomas William Hornig. See all personhood cases →