Belly of the Beast
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
When a courageous young woman and a radical lawyer discover a pattern of illegal sterilizations in California’s women’s prisons, they wage a near-impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. With a growing team of investigators inside prison working with colleagues on the outside, they uncover a series of statewide crimes -- from inadequate health care to sexual assault to coercive sterilizations -- primarily targeting women of color. This shocking legal drama captured over 7-years features extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, demanding attention to a shameful and ongoing legacy of eugenics and reproductive injustice in the United States.
BELLY OF THE BEAST is a co-production of Belly of the Beast LLC, Idle Wild Films Inc., Black Public Media (BPM) and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
"Shocking."
Washington Post
"Whistleblower testimonies, expert commentary and powerful archival footage are well-paced throughout the film and reveal a darker truth when it comes to advocating for the rights of incarcerated people: Those on the frontline are not only fighting bad actors who abuse their power, they are also battling a public that at best does not care and at worst condones it."
New York Times
"Harrowing."
NPR
"A powerful exposé of human rights abuses of women in the criminal justice system."
Human Rights Watch Film Festival
"Horrifying and fascinating all at once."
Screen Comment
"An exposé of modern-day eugenics in the United States."
Mill Valley Film Festival
"Erika Cohn's follow-up to her multi-award-winning THE JUDGE, tracks down a previously little-known story about enforced—and illegal—sterilization of female inmates in California's correctional facilities."
IDA
"Filmmaker Erika Cohn's BELLY OF THE BEAST tackles a tough subject — the forced sterilization of women inmates at a California prison — with journalistic fire and sensitive artistry."
Sean P. Means Salt Lake City Tribune
"It's like an onion, and you just keep peeling and seeing just layers and layers and layers of systemic injustice on so many intersectional levels...absolutely worth watching for students."
Beth Seymour ACT Human Rights Film Festival Managing Director
Citation
Main credits
Cohn, Erika (film director)
Cohn, Erika (film producer)
Tucker, Angela (film producer)
Marquez, Christen Hepuakoa (film producer)
Docta, Nicole (film producer)
Other credits
Editing, Tchavdar Georgiev, Jean Kawahara; cinematography, Clare Major, Bianca Travis Cline; music, Omar Fadel.
Distributor subjects
Activism; African American; Gender; Human Rights; Law; Racism; Reproductive Rights; Criminal JusticeKeywords
WEBVTT
00:07.500 --> 00:08.042
(logo music)
00:08.042 --> 00:10.669
(logo music)
00:15.424 --> 00:15.966
(mysterious music)
00:15.966 --> 00:18.427
(mysterious music)
00:28.646 --> 00:29.355
- [Kelli] I remember just looking at all
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- [Kelli] I remember just looking at all
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of the cows and the plains.
00:35.778 --> 00:36.403
And at 19, thinking to myself like wow
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And at 19, thinking to myself like wow
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there\'s so much on this
earth that I haven\'t seen.
00:41.116 --> 00:44.370
there\'s so much on this
earth that I haven\'t seen.
00:44.370 --> 00:46.539
And now I\'m getting ready
to go spend 15 years
00:46.539 --> 00:49.416
of my life in prison.
00:49.917 --> 00:50.459
- [Defense Attorney] Will
you state your full name
00:50.459 --> 00:51.418
- [Defense Attorney] Will
you state your full name
00:51.418 --> 00:53.003
for the record, please?
00:53.003 --> 00:55.548
- Kelli LeShawn Dillon Thomas.
00:56.131 --> 00:56.757
- [Defense Attorney] Dillon
was your maiden name?
00:56.757 --> 00:57.841
- [Defense Attorney] Dillon
was your maiden name?
00:57.841 --> 00:58.676
- Yes.
01:01.178 --> 01:01.845
I was sentenced for shooting
and killing my husband.
01:01.845 --> 01:05.724
I was sentenced for shooting
and killing my husband.
01:06.600 --> 01:07.268
The most painful thing
was when the police came
01:07.268 --> 01:12.022
The most painful thing
was when the police came
01:12.022 --> 01:16.860
to get me and having to separate
between me and my children
01:16.860 --> 01:17.278
even though I had protected
us from a monster.
01:17.278 --> 01:20.864
even though I had protected
us from a monster.
01:21.615 --> 01:22.408
- [Defense Attorney] The burn marks
01:22.408 --> 01:23.158
- [Defense Attorney] The burn marks
01:23.158 --> 01:24.285
were inflicted by your husband?
01:24.285 --> 01:25.160
- Yes.
01:25.160 --> 01:25.995
- [Defense Attorney] With?
01:25.995 --> 01:26.912
- An iron.
01:26.912 --> 01:27.746
- [Defense Attorney] An iron?
01:27.746 --> 01:28.581
- Yes.
01:28.581 --> 01:29.582
- [Defense Attorney] And
this occurred during a fight?
01:29.582 --> 01:30.874
- Yes.
01:30.874 --> 01:32.459
- [Defense Attorney] And he put the iron,
01:32.459 --> 01:34.044
what, to your neck?
01:38.299 --> 01:38.924
- Yes.
01:38.924 --> 01:39.758
- Yes.
01:47.308 --> 01:47.933
I\'m trying to remember
what my children felt like,
01:47.933 --> 01:50.477
I\'m trying to remember
what my children felt like,
01:50.477 --> 01:54.773
their skin felt like, what
they breath smelt like.
01:54.773 --> 01:57.610
(people in prison yelling)
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I cannot believe that my
life has come to this.
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I cannot believe that my
life has come to this.
02:12.750 --> 02:15.336
(gate banging)
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I always been a fighter.
02:17.379 --> 02:19.381
I always been a fighter.
02:19.757 --> 02:20.382
But it wasn\'t truly birthed,
until I was in prison.
02:20.382 --> 02:24.470
But it wasn\'t truly birthed,
until I was in prison.
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- It\'s always hard to
figure out what to wear
02:53.123 --> 02:54.500
- It\'s always hard to
figure out what to wear
02:54.500 --> 02:57.586
to prison because you can\'t
wear red, green, brown,
02:57.586 --> 03:00.673
khaki, orange, or denim of any color.
03:03.008 --> 03:03.676
When people in prison have a visit,
03:03.676 --> 03:06.095
When people in prison have a visit,
03:06.095 --> 03:08.097
they have to go through a strip search,
03:08.097 --> 03:09.848
and they have to expose
themselves in front
03:09.848 --> 03:13.018
of at least one guard if not many more.
03:14.478 --> 03:15.145
Usually visitors coming in
only wear black or white
03:15.145 --> 03:17.856
Usually visitors coming in
only wear black or white
03:17.856 --> 03:21.819
and I decided at some point
to bring a level of levity
03:21.819 --> 03:23.987
and color into the visits.
03:25.948 --> 03:26.573
Folks inside loved it.
03:26.573 --> 03:28.325
Folks inside loved it.
03:28.325 --> 03:29.827
They would see me coming
and start giggling
03:29.827 --> 03:32.246
and laughing about what
wild shoes I had on.
03:33.497 --> 03:34.164
There was this one correctional
officer who was like,
03:34.164 --> 03:35.708
There was this one correctional
officer who was like,
03:35.708 --> 03:37.584
\"You can\'t wear those shoes.\"
03:37.584 --> 03:39.628
And I was like, \"Can you point to the rule
03:39.628 --> 03:42.423
\"that says that these violate
any kind of dress code?\"
03:44.508 --> 03:45.175
All the correctional
officers and high-level folks
03:45.175 --> 03:47.302
All the correctional
officers and high-level folks
03:47.302 --> 03:48.554
from the Department of Corrections
03:48.554 --> 03:51.306
were always treating
me like a small child.
03:53.726 --> 03:54.351
And so at some point I
decided to just own it
03:54.351 --> 03:57.020
And so at some point I
decided to just own it
03:57.020 --> 03:58.605
and take on the brand of kind
03:58.605 --> 04:00.733
of being like a tacky whipper-snapper.
04:11.118 --> 04:11.326
(gentle music)
04:11.326 --> 04:13.871
(gentle music)
04:29.178 --> 04:29.803
Waking up and leaving the
house before six in the morning
04:29.803 --> 04:32.055
Waking up and leaving the
house before six in the morning
04:32.055 --> 04:35.976
and driving to prison and
spending the day bearing witness
04:35.976 --> 04:41.064
to pretty significant trauma,
it\'s really very draining.
04:43.942 --> 04:44.610
Whenever you\'re fighting
human rights abuses in prison,
04:44.610 --> 04:48.530
Whenever you\'re fighting
human rights abuses in prison,
04:48.530 --> 04:51.074
you never know what to expect.
04:59.792 --> 05:00.375
- The first thing I remember seeing,
05:00.375 --> 05:02.711
- The first thing I remember seeing,
05:02.711 --> 05:05.339
the girls yelling in the cells.
05:05.839 --> 05:06.507
And it just look like top and
bottom tier of caged animals.
05:06.507 --> 05:10.844
And it just look like top and
bottom tier of caged animals.
05:11.470 --> 05:12.095
Everything is exposed.
05:12.095 --> 05:14.389
Everything is exposed.
05:14.389 --> 05:18.519
You have male officers who
can actually look in the cell
05:18.519 --> 05:23.273
and see women sitting on the
toilet, changing their pads.
05:24.733 --> 05:25.400
(mysterious music)
05:25.400 --> 05:27.986
(mysterious music)
05:28.195 --> 05:28.821
A few years later, I began
05:28.821 --> 05:31.365
A few years later, I began
05:31.365 --> 05:34.159
to experience like abdominal pain.
05:35.911 --> 05:36.537
I was told I had a abnormal pap smear
05:36.537 --> 05:40.415
I was told I had a abnormal pap smear
05:40.415 --> 05:44.545
and needed a cone biopsy
to look for cancer.
05:45.254 --> 05:45.879
The doctor said that it
seems like I had cysts
05:45.879 --> 05:49.716
The doctor said that it
seems like I had cysts
05:49.716 --> 05:52.970
that was growing on my ovaries.
05:52.970 --> 05:54.721
He asked me how old I was.
05:54.721 --> 05:56.390
I was about 24.
05:56.390 --> 05:58.392
He said, \"Do you want any children?\"
05:58.392 --> 06:01.186
I said, \"Yes, I have two sons already
06:01.186 --> 06:04.147
\"and because I\'m not going to
have a chance to raise them,
06:04.147 --> 06:06.567
\"I\'m looking forward to meeting someone
06:06.567 --> 06:09.903
\"who actually loves me and
raising more children.\"
06:09.903 --> 06:12.155
So he said, \"If I find cancer,
06:12.155 --> 06:14.992
\"do you want us to do a hysterectomy?\"
06:14.992 --> 06:18.161
And I said, \"Yes, if you find cancer.\"
06:19.496 --> 06:20.289
So me and four other girls were
called out to get chained up
06:20.289 --> 06:24.334
So me and four other girls were
called out to get chained up
06:24.334 --> 06:27.421
in order to go out for surgery.
06:27.421 --> 06:29.172
Everything\'s assembly line.
06:29.172 --> 06:32.759
We\'re all handed a piece
of paper by two nurses.
06:32.759 --> 06:34.052
They\'re standing there
like, \"You guys need
06:34.052 --> 06:35.596
\"to hurry up and sign.\"
06:35.596 --> 06:38.098
We\'re trying to read as
much as we can to understand
06:38.098 --> 06:39.600
but for the most part we\'re looking
06:39.600 --> 06:41.018
and it said this is for you to consent
06:41.018 --> 06:43.186
to the surgery that you\'re having today.
06:48.650 --> 06:51.737
(heart monitor beeping)
06:51.737 --> 06:52.571
(heart monitor beeping)
06:56.116 --> 06:56.783
When I came out I felt
like something was wrong.
06:56.783 --> 07:00.787
When I came out I felt
like something was wrong.
07:01.246 --> 07:01.914
He told me, \"Everything is
fine, we took out some cysts.\"
07:01.914 --> 07:05.667
He told me, \"Everything is
fine, we took out some cysts.\"
07:05.667 --> 07:06.501
So then I asked him,
07:06.501 --> 07:08.086
\"Will I still be able to have children?\"
07:08.086 --> 07:11.256
And he was like, \"Yeah,
I don\'t see why not.\"
07:12.215 --> 07:12.841
(telephone ringing)
07:12.841 --> 07:15.636
(telephone ringing)
07:18.889 --> 07:19.264
- [Nora] Can you tell me
where you\'re calling from?
07:19.264 --> 07:21.350
- [Nora] Can you tell me
where you\'re calling from?
07:23.018 --> 07:23.644
Do you mind if I get your name
07:23.644 --> 07:24.561
Do you mind if I get your name
07:24.561 --> 07:27.147
just in case we\'re disconnected?
07:27.147 --> 07:28.815
Is she happy to tell you more about...
07:28.815 --> 07:30.359
- Are you starting to
actually get more hope
07:30.359 --> 07:32.653
though around your own case?
07:33.070 --> 07:33.487
We were getting hundreds of letters
07:33.487 --> 07:36.406
We were getting hundreds of letters
07:36.406 --> 07:39.826
about horrible medical abuses every month.
07:40.577 --> 07:41.244
But then, one day, we got
this letter from Kelli Dillon.
07:41.244 --> 07:44.414
But then, one day, we got
this letter from Kelli Dillon.
07:44.414 --> 07:47.668
And it was really troubling.
07:47.668 --> 07:48.001
(mysterious music)
07:48.001 --> 07:50.545
(mysterious music)
07:52.631 --> 07:53.256
- [Kelli] It\'s almost nine months past
07:53.256 --> 07:54.967
- [Kelli] It\'s almost nine months past
07:54.967 --> 07:57.552
and I haven\'t had my period.
07:58.303 --> 07:58.971
I got bad panic attacks,
heart palpitations,
07:58.971 --> 08:02.182
I got bad panic attacks,
heart palpitations,
08:02.182 --> 08:06.520
night sweats and I\'m damn
near a hundred pounds smaller.
08:06.520 --> 08:06.853
(water splashing)
08:06.853 --> 08:09.147
(water splashing)
08:09.147 --> 08:10.732
- She was suffering all these symptoms
08:10.732 --> 08:14.152
that were classic symptoms
of surgical menopause.
08:14.152 --> 08:16.822
But she was a young woman in her 20s.
08:16.822 --> 08:17.155
- Cynthia advised me, you need
to get your medical records.
08:17.155 --> 08:21.827
- Cynthia advised me, you need
to get your medical records.
08:22.119 --> 08:22.744
After six months of fighting
to just get my medical records,
08:22.744 --> 08:27.457
After six months of fighting
to just get my medical records,
08:27.457 --> 08:27.874
Cynthia sat with me in the visiting room
08:27.874 --> 08:30.711
Cynthia sat with me in the visiting room
08:30.711 --> 08:33.296
and she read them to me.
08:33.630 --> 08:34.297
This says that you have
abnormal cervical cells.
08:34.297 --> 08:38.427
This says that you have
abnormal cervical cells.
08:38.427 --> 08:40.554
I asked her did it ever say I have cancer?
08:40.554 --> 08:43.598
She said, \"No, you never had cancer.\"
08:46.518 --> 08:47.185
I had been intentionally
sterilized and I had been lied to.
08:47.185 --> 08:52.566
I had been intentionally
sterilized and I had been lied to.
09:00.657 --> 09:01.324
- My name is Cynthia Chandler.
09:01.324 --> 09:02.492
- My name is Cynthia Chandler.
09:02.492 --> 09:05.328
I\'m the co-director of the
Justice Network on Women,
09:05.328 --> 09:07.748
which is a new organization
based in Oakland
09:07.748 --> 09:10.500
that provides legal services
and community organizing
09:10.500 --> 09:12.044
around the needs of women prisoners.
09:12.044 --> 09:15.047
When I got out of law school in 1995,
09:15.047 --> 09:18.216
I didn\'t know anything about
anything happening in prison
09:18.216 --> 09:22.179
until really meeting people
who were really living there
09:22.179 --> 09:24.181
who had to make prison their life.
09:24.181 --> 09:27.100
- I\'m HIV and Hep-C co-infected,
09:27.100 --> 09:28.685
I\'m self disclosed.
09:28.685 --> 09:31.521
I had heard some bits
and pieces about Cynthia.
09:31.521 --> 09:34.941
She was a young white woman, Harvard grad
09:34.941 --> 09:38.820
and Cindy came up to me
and I can\'t even imagine
09:38.820 --> 09:40.489
what she\'s got to tell me.
09:40.489 --> 09:43.909
- We\'re failing to provide
the most basic care
09:43.909 --> 09:46.661
to the sickest and most
vulnerable of the women
09:46.661 --> 09:48.371
who are in this prison system.
09:48.371 --> 09:50.248
- She was an attorney for
compassionate release.
09:50.248 --> 09:51.541
And I was like, compassionate release?
09:51.541 --> 09:53.001
Like, who does that?
09:53.001 --> 09:57.005
Like who fights for
somebody that\'s going to die
09:57.005 --> 09:59.549
and you fight to get them home?
09:59.549 --> 10:03.637
- Many of us watched
Rosemary Willoughby die
10:03.637 --> 10:06.264
because the Department
of Corrections refused
10:06.264 --> 10:08.683
to acknowledge that she was dying.
10:08.683 --> 10:12.104
Her worst nightmare came true.
10:12.104 --> 10:14.231
She died absolutely alone, surrounded
10:14.231 --> 10:17.275
by not a single person who she loved.
10:17.526 --> 10:18.151
- She started making kind of sense to me,
10:18.151 --> 10:21.279
- She started making kind of sense to me,
10:21.279 --> 10:26.284
how us women need to learn how
to defend ourselves legally
10:26.284 --> 10:26.576
and how we need to find a remedy
10:26.576 --> 10:28.411
and how we need to find a remedy
10:28.411 --> 10:30.997
for human rights violations inside.
10:30.997 --> 10:33.291
It shouldn\'t be up to an inmate
10:33.291 --> 10:38.046
to have to sit and figure
out what my T-cell count is
10:38.046 --> 10:39.840
and what it means to me.
10:39.840 --> 10:42.425
- I watched two women die on my yard,
10:42.425 --> 10:45.137
that I was very close to and that I knew.
10:45.137 --> 10:47.681
If I could see that the
whites of their eyes
10:47.681 --> 10:49.724
were as yellow as a caution sign,
10:49.724 --> 10:51.601
why couldn\'t somebody else?
10:51.601 --> 10:54.020
- Healthcare is so bleak,
10:54.020 --> 10:56.273
it\'s hard to imagine
it\'s even by accident.
10:56.731 --> 10:57.357
- [Ted] Last year there were
about a 150 formal complaints
10:57.357 --> 11:01.069
- [Ted] Last year there were
about a 150 formal complaints
11:01.069 --> 11:03.905
filed by inmates every
month from allegations
11:03.905 --> 11:08.368
of incompetence to actual
charges of sexual harassment.
11:08.368 --> 11:10.328
- We have a healthcare staff who,
11:10.328 --> 11:11.872
you go in for a cut on the finger,
11:11.872 --> 11:13.498
likes to give you a pap smear.
11:13.498 --> 11:16.793
- For a chest cold, oh let
me, you know, do a pap smear.
11:16.793 --> 11:20.714
- I\'ve heard inmates tell me
that they would deliberately,
11:20.714 --> 11:22.174
like to be examined.
11:22.174 --> 11:23.925
The only male contact they get.
11:23.925 --> 11:25.802
- You\'re telling me
they\'re coming in here,
11:25.802 --> 11:28.013
in effect asking for them?
11:28.013 --> 11:29.890
- Well--
- As some sort of titillation?
11:29.890 --> 11:32.642
- It could very well be,
it could very well be.
11:32.642 --> 11:33.351
(mysterious music)
11:33.351 --> 11:35.770
(mysterious music)
11:36.104 --> 11:36.771
- California\'s Women\'s prisons
11:36.771 --> 11:38.106
- California\'s Women\'s prisons
11:38.106 --> 11:42.611
have always had a horrific
track record of medical care.
11:42.611 --> 11:45.947
- This Friday Judge Thelton
Henderson delivered a ruling
11:45.947 --> 11:47.949
that charged deplorable conditions
11:47.949 --> 11:50.368
in state prisoner medical care.
11:50.368 --> 11:56.082
- They had doctors in what
looked like broom closets
11:56.082 --> 11:57.209
seeing prisoners.
11:57.209 --> 12:00.921
And I went and saw them standing in line,
12:00.921 --> 12:02.964
the ceiling was dripping water
12:02.964 --> 12:04.841
and they were standing in a half inch
12:04.841 --> 12:06.968
of water waiting to be seen.
12:07.761 --> 12:08.386
- [Cynthia] The federal courts took over
12:08.386 --> 12:09.930
- [Cynthia] The federal courts took over
12:09.930 --> 12:13.516
the whole healthcare system
for California\'s prisons
12:13.516 --> 12:16.853
and placed it under federal receivership
12:16.853 --> 12:21.149
to bring the healthcare up
to constitutional standards.
12:21.942 --> 12:22.567
- You know people would say,
12:22.567 --> 12:23.401
- You know people would say,
12:23.401 --> 12:25.278
well how dare you know a receiver
12:25.278 --> 12:26.404
or somebody come into our house
12:26.404 --> 12:27.822
and tell us how to do things.
12:27.906 --> 12:28.531
CDC is punishment.
12:28.531 --> 12:30.825
CDC is punishment.
12:31.826 --> 12:32.452
And there was a lot of pushback
on adding rehabilitation
12:32.452 --> 12:36.248
And there was a lot of pushback
on adding rehabilitation
12:36.248 --> 12:38.833
to just CDC and making it CDCR.
12:40.543 --> 12:41.169
They really saw the
receivership as a threat.
12:41.169 --> 12:44.547
They really saw the
receivership as a threat.
12:46.758 --> 12:47.425
I worked at the Central
California Women\'s Facility
12:47.425 --> 12:49.386
I worked at the Central
California Women\'s Facility
12:49.386 --> 12:51.263
for about 17 years.
12:51.263 --> 12:54.891
(wind chimes jingling)
12:54.891 --> 12:57.477
People that do things for
inmates or that try to ensure
12:57.477 --> 13:00.605
that they get their care,
they\'re called inmate lovers.
13:00.605 --> 13:02.274
You\'re an inmate lover.
13:03.608 --> 13:04.276
I have some fear what kind
of repercussions will I get
13:04.276 --> 13:07.279
I have some fear what kind
of repercussions will I get
13:07.279 --> 13:09.906
for coming on and talking about this.
13:10.782 --> 13:11.449
I took an oath when I
graduated from nursing school
13:11.449 --> 13:14.452
I took an oath when I
graduated from nursing school
13:14.452 --> 13:16.705
and it\'s that you do no harm.
13:16.705 --> 13:18.999
But inmates become numbers.
13:18.999 --> 13:21.584
You don\'t get names and
that\'s what makes it easy
13:21.584 --> 13:22.877
to abuse them.
13:22.877 --> 13:26.715
(birds singing)
(mysterious music)
13:33.096 --> 13:33.763
- I was sitting down in
the middle of the yard.
13:33.763 --> 13:36.766
- I was sitting down in
the middle of the yard.
13:36.766 --> 13:40.729
I see this young African
American girl walk out
13:40.729 --> 13:45.317
of the medical building, and
she\'s holding her abdomen area.
13:45.317 --> 13:47.485
And I say, \"I know it\'s not my business
13:47.485 --> 13:51.323
\"but what kind of surgery did you have?\"
13:51.323 --> 13:54.200
She said, \"I had to get
a partial hysterectomy.\"
13:54.200 --> 13:55.785
I said, \"For what?\"
13:55.785 --> 13:58.204
She said, \"Oh, they said
I have abnormal cells.\"
13:58.204 --> 14:02.167
And then that\'s when boop,
the light bulb went off.
14:02.917 --> 14:03.626
Why is it all of a sudden we got all
14:03.626 --> 14:05.503
Why is it all of a sudden we got all
14:05.503 --> 14:07.630
of these reproductive problems?
14:07.630 --> 14:11.801
That\'s when I was like aw
nah, this don\'t sound right.
14:11.801 --> 14:15.472
I made a phone call back to Cynthia.
14:15.472 --> 14:19.642
I think that they\'ve been
doing this to other women.
14:21.644 --> 14:22.270
I started carrying a briefcase with forms
14:22.270 --> 14:24.522
I started carrying a briefcase with forms
14:24.522 --> 14:28.109
so I could help people
contact Justice Now.
14:31.613 --> 14:32.822
(door slamming)
14:32.822 --> 14:34.949
(door slamming)
14:34.949 --> 14:37.369
- Thanks to Kelli\'s
organizing we were able
14:37.369 --> 14:41.289
to uncover a dozen instances
of people being sterilized
14:41.289 --> 14:43.249
during other kinds of surgeries.
14:44.542 --> 14:44.834
(Cynthia sighing)
14:44.834 --> 14:46.002
(Cynthia sighing)
14:46.002 --> 14:47.087
The room is kind of hot.
14:47.087 --> 14:47.837
- [Woman] Yeah, it is.
14:47.837 --> 14:48.963
- [Cynthia] Thank you for
meeting with me today.
14:48.963 --> 14:49.964
- [Woman] Uh huh.
14:49.964 --> 14:52.550
- [Cynthia] So, if you could
summarize what happened
14:52.550 --> 14:55.095
in terms of the surgery you had.
14:56.763 --> 14:57.389
- [Woman] I put in a
request to see the doctor
14:57.389 --> 14:59.599
- [Woman] I put in a
request to see the doctor
14:59.599 --> 15:02.310
because I\'ve had bad cramps.
15:02.310 --> 15:07.107
He said you have fibroid
tumors and severe endometriosis
15:07.107 --> 15:10.735
so that causes a higher
risk of cervical cancer.
15:11.694 --> 15:12.320
He talked me into a hysterectomy.
15:12.320 --> 15:15.115
He talked me into a hysterectomy.
15:19.828 --> 15:20.453
Four years later, I
went to an OBGYN doctor.
15:20.453 --> 15:24.040
Four years later, I
went to an OBGYN doctor.
15:24.040 --> 15:29.129
I asked him did I have
tumors and endometriosis?
15:29.129 --> 15:29.629
And he said, \"I don\'t
see any of that on here.\"
15:29.629 --> 15:33.049
And he said, \"I don\'t
see any of that on here.\"
15:33.508 --> 15:34.134
You gave me a hysterectomy
for severe cramps?
15:34.134 --> 15:37.345
You gave me a hysterectomy
for severe cramps?
15:38.263 --> 15:38.888
- [Woman 1] He did a pelvic exam.
15:38.888 --> 15:40.598
- [Woman 1] He did a pelvic exam.
15:40.598 --> 15:41.641
- [Woman 2] He gave me some kind of test
15:41.641 --> 15:43.977
and said I had some, a fibroid.
15:43.977 --> 15:46.771
- [WOMAN 3] I was told
that I had cancer cells.
15:46.771 --> 15:47.730
- [WOMAN 4] They told me that I had
15:47.730 --> 15:49.482
to have my ovaries removed.
15:49.482 --> 15:51.151
I had no choice.
15:51.151 --> 15:52.485
- [WOMAN 5] We actually used
to call them the surgeries
15:52.485 --> 15:55.071
of the month because they
were happening so frequently,
15:55.071 --> 15:57.449
so many people were
getting hysterectomies.
15:57.449 --> 15:58.324
That was a cure-all.
15:58.324 --> 15:59.909
That\'s what it was.
16:15.258 --> 16:15.884
- It\'s usually impossible
to find representation
16:15.884 --> 16:18.511
- It\'s usually impossible
to find representation
16:18.511 --> 16:20.180
for people who are harmed in prison
16:20.180 --> 16:24.350
because the cases are both
too difficult and too costly
16:24.350 --> 16:27.103
and no attorneys will take them.
16:27.103 --> 16:30.773
In Kelli\'s case, the harm was so egregious
16:30.773 --> 16:32.942
that we were able to secure pro-bono,
16:32.942 --> 16:36.779
one of the best law firms in
the state to represent her.
16:36.779 --> 16:38.490
- Although the fight was in me,
16:38.490 --> 16:42.702
I was very much intimidated by
whom I was going up against.
16:42.702 --> 16:43.119
- [Defense Attorney] I
saw that you had a number
16:43.119 --> 16:44.370
- [Defense Attorney] I
saw that you had a number
16:44.370 --> 16:46.789
of health issues after surgery.
16:46.789 --> 16:50.418
- I felt like um I was losing
a lot of weight at the time.
16:50.418 --> 16:52.045
I was in a lot of pain.
16:52.045 --> 16:54.130
I thought that I was dying.
16:54.130 --> 16:54.923
- [Defense Attorney] What did you weigh
16:54.923 --> 16:56.508
when you went into prison?
16:56.508 --> 16:59.511
- Like 235 pounds.
16:59.928 --> 17:00.678
- [Defense Attorney] What was
the least that you weighed?
17:00.678 --> 17:02.388
- [Defense Attorney] What was
the least that you weighed?
17:02.388 --> 17:04.682
- 118 pounds.
17:04.682 --> 17:07.936
The doctor thought maybe
I was a hypochondriac.
17:07.936 --> 17:13.107
And he said that I should be
happy that I had lost weight
17:13.107 --> 17:15.401
so many women would love
to have lost the amount
17:15.401 --> 17:16.945
of weight that I\'ve lost.
17:16.945 --> 17:20.573
One doctor told me, well how
do you expect for someone
17:20.573 --> 17:25.161
to treat you if you are suing them?
17:25.161 --> 17:25.828
- [Defense Attorney] I\'m
gonna bounce around a bit.
17:25.828 --> 17:27.830
- [Defense Attorney] I\'m
gonna bounce around a bit.
17:27.830 --> 17:30.291
Other than the offense that
you\'re currently in on,
17:30.291 --> 17:32.252
did you have any other convictions?
17:32.252 --> 17:33.086
- No.
17:33.086 --> 17:34.295
- [Defense Attorney] The
circumstances that led
17:34.295 --> 17:35.672
to your current incarceration.
17:35.672 --> 17:37.257
Tell me about that?
17:41.761 --> 17:42.387
Do you need to take a break?
17:42.387 --> 17:45.139
Do you need to take a break?
17:45.139 --> 17:47.183
- They would have her recount
17:47.183 --> 17:49.435
everything about her commitment offense
17:49.435 --> 17:51.437
because they were looking for evidence
17:51.437 --> 17:53.565
of her being someone who lies,
17:53.565 --> 17:57.860
of her being someone who
is lacking of character.
17:57.860 --> 17:58.027
- [Defense Attorney] How many times
17:58.027 --> 17:58.778
- [Defense Attorney] How many times
17:58.778 --> 18:00.113
did you receive medical treatment
18:00.113 --> 18:03.616
for injuries you suffered as
a result of domestic violence?
18:03.616 --> 18:04.450
- Numerous, I can\'t...
18:04.450 --> 18:06.286
- Numerous, I can\'t...
18:07.245 --> 18:07.787
I don\'t have a specific number.
18:07.787 --> 18:09.455
I don\'t have a specific number.
18:09.455 --> 18:11.749
- [Defense Attorney] Can
you give me an estimate?
18:11.749 --> 18:13.459
Five, 10, 20?
18:14.877 --> 18:15.503
- You know my heart had
already been broken,
18:15.503 --> 18:18.464
- You know my heart had
already been broken,
18:18.464 --> 18:20.508
my spirit had already been crushed,
18:20.508 --> 18:23.469
I didn\'t, I didn\'t have nothing to lose.
18:23.469 --> 18:23.636
(gentle music)
18:23.636 --> 18:26.222
(gentle music)
18:29.559 --> 18:30.143
My attorneys postponed the
trial until I actually paroled.
18:30.143 --> 18:34.355
My attorneys postponed the
trial until I actually paroled.
18:35.565 --> 18:36.190
I felt like I was going
to get a real chance at...
18:36.190 --> 18:42.322
I felt like I was going
to get a real chance at...
18:43.781 --> 18:44.449
I don\'t know I just thought
18:44.449 --> 18:45.491
I don\'t know I just thought
18:45.491 --> 18:49.621
that maybe this was the
beginning of the tables turning.
18:49.662 --> 18:50.330
- [Cynthia] The smoking
gun in her case was
18:50.330 --> 18:52.540
- [Cynthia] The smoking
gun in her case was
18:52.540 --> 18:56.169
that they cut off the
blood supply to her ovaries
18:56.169 --> 18:58.921
and removed them, dissected them
18:58.921 --> 19:02.175
and they were never
supposed to do any of that.
19:02.592 --> 19:03.217
- [Defense Attorney] And
you knew that your ovaries
19:03.217 --> 19:04.636
- [Defense Attorney] And
you knew that your ovaries
19:04.636 --> 19:08.222
produced the eggs and an egg
was required to have a baby?
19:08.222 --> 19:08.931
- Yes.
19:08.931 --> 19:10.391
- [Defense Attorney] In
your complaint it\'s alleged
19:10.391 --> 19:12.644
that if you\'d have known
there was a possibility
19:12.644 --> 19:15.396
that your ovaries might have been
removed during the surgery,
19:15.396 --> 19:17.649
you would not have consented to it.
19:17.649 --> 19:18.399
- Yes.
19:18.399 --> 19:20.360
- [Defense Attorney] Was the
plan that if he found cancer
19:20.360 --> 19:23.363
at surgery that he was going
to at that same surgery,
19:23.363 --> 19:25.239
do a partial hysterectomy?
19:25.239 --> 19:27.700
- That was my understanding.
19:27.700 --> 19:30.286
- She consented to removing everything
19:30.286 --> 19:32.664
if and only if she had cancer
19:32.664 --> 19:35.541
and it had spread and was invasive.
19:35.541 --> 19:37.669
She didn\'t have cancer.
19:37.669 --> 19:38.961
- [Defense Attorney] At
any point while you were
19:38.961 --> 19:40.963
at Madera Community Hospital,
did anybody tell you
19:40.963 --> 19:43.257
that all of your ovaries had been removed?
19:43.257 --> 19:43.966
- No.
19:43.966 --> 19:44.676
- [Defense Attorney]
When was the first time
19:44.676 --> 19:47.261
a doctor told you that you
had been missing your ovaries?
19:47.261 --> 19:48.513
- No one ever told me that.
19:48.513 --> 19:49.555
- [Defense Attorney] No
medical doctors ever said
19:49.555 --> 19:50.014
that to you?
19:50.014 --> 19:51.391
- No.
19:51.391 --> 19:52.975
(mysterious music)
19:52.975 --> 19:57.271
The jury was predominantly
white from Fresno County.
19:57.522 --> 19:58.272
I\'m looking at this jury hoping
19:58.272 --> 20:00.733
I\'m looking at this jury
20:01.693 --> 20:01.859
that they would say this is wrong.
20:01.859 --> 20:05.697
hoping that they would say this is wrong.
20:05.697 --> 20:07.824
No matter what or why she was there,
20:07.824 --> 20:10.910
she didn\'t deserve this to happen to her.
20:10.910 --> 20:13.162
- After a seven day trial,
20:13.162 --> 20:17.250
the jury believed the
doctor\'s versions of events.
20:17.250 --> 20:19.752
That Kelli knew something
was wrong at the end
20:19.752 --> 20:23.423
of the surgery, that she
then missed the time she had
20:23.423 --> 20:27.176
to bring a claim under the
statute of limitations.
20:27.176 --> 20:31.597
And they used that to just
dismiss all of her claims.
20:32.473 --> 20:33.141
- I watched my lead
attorney as well as her team
20:33.141 --> 20:37.895
- I watched my lead
attorney as well as her team
20:37.895 --> 20:42.483
walk out the room and tears
begin to roll down they eyes.
20:44.110 --> 20:45.153
And I just looked at them
and I said, \"Thank you,
20:45.153 --> 20:48.573
And I just looked at them
and I said, \"Thank you,
20:48.573 --> 20:50.616
\"for fighting for me.
20:50.742 --> 20:51.617
\"Even if it was just for the fight.\"
20:51.617 --> 20:54.078
\"Even if it was just for the fight.\"
20:57.915 --> 20:58.624
- Question 43.
20:58.624 --> 21:00.460
- Question 43.
21:00.460 --> 21:03.337
If you found for plaintiff
on any of her claims
21:03.337 --> 21:05.298
and found that those
claims were not barred
21:05.298 --> 21:07.383
by any statute of limitations,
21:07.383 --> 21:10.762
what total damages do
you award Miss. Thomas?
21:10.762 --> 21:12.805
Zero dollars.
21:13.055 --> 21:13.890
Zero dollars.
21:13.890 --> 21:15.057
Zero dollars.
21:15.433 --> 21:16.058
Zero dollars.
21:16.058 --> 21:17.310
Zero dollars.
21:19.479 --> 21:20.104
- I was looking at these documents
21:20.104 --> 21:23.107
- I was looking at these documents
21:23.107 --> 21:27.236
that was confirming that as a black woman,
21:27.236 --> 21:29.363
my life wasn\'t shit.
21:29.363 --> 21:30.782
It didn\'t mean anything.
21:30.782 --> 21:32.909
It had no purpose.
21:32.909 --> 21:35.703
(sorrowful music)
22:03.481 --> 22:04.106
I really couldn\'t enjoy my coming home.
22:04.106 --> 22:07.401
I really couldn\'t enjoy my coming home.
22:08.986 --> 22:09.654
My mind was in the trial
22:09.654 --> 22:11.531
My mind was in the trial
22:11.531 --> 22:14.992
for the first 3 months of my freedom.
22:17.328 --> 22:17.995
This photo album I kept with me in prison.
22:17.995 --> 22:21.457
This photo album I kept with me in prison.
22:23.292 --> 22:23.960
This my favorite picture,
22:23.960 --> 22:25.419
This my favorite picture,
22:25.419 --> 22:28.464
Anthony coming to visit me in prison.
22:29.674 --> 22:30.299
Out of the 15 years I was
there, we had about five visits.
22:30.299 --> 22:35.137
Out of the 15 years I was
there, we had about five visits.
22:38.391 --> 22:39.016
When I left my sons was two and four,
22:39.016 --> 22:41.477
When I left my sons was two and four,
22:41.477 --> 22:43.020
so I\'m watching my children grow up
22:43.020 --> 22:45.439
on the other side of a glass.
22:46.148 --> 22:46.774
It was hard.
22:46.774 --> 22:48.192
It was hard.
22:48.192 --> 22:49.986
(melancholic music)
22:49.986 --> 22:54.699
When I came home they
were 16 and 18 years old.
22:56.367 --> 22:57.034
I begin to hear from my children,
22:57.034 --> 22:59.203
I begin to hear from my children,
22:59.203 --> 23:03.165
\"You didn\'t have to go
to prison, you chose to.\"
23:03.374 --> 23:04.083
I said, \"Did they ever tell
you that how much I loved you?
23:04.083 --> 23:07.753
I said, \"Did they ever tell
you that how much I loved you?
23:07.753 --> 23:10.214
\"Did they ever tell you
of what I did in order
23:10.214 --> 23:14.343
\"to make sure that a hand
was never laid on you?\"
23:17.597 --> 23:18.431
I posted this up on my Facebook
23:18.431 --> 23:21.058
I posted this up on my Facebook
23:21.058 --> 23:25.813
and it said, \"This is what
domestic violence looks like.\"
23:26.564 --> 23:27.189
Looking at this picture
you could never see
23:27.189 --> 23:29.025
Looking at this picture
you could never see
23:29.025 --> 23:32.778
that I was a victim of domestic violence
23:32.778 --> 23:36.198
\'cause it looks like we\'re
madly in love, you know?
23:56.802 --> 23:57.470
- [Cynthia] Okay, here
I\'ll get the door for you.
23:57.470 --> 24:00.681
- [Cynthia] Okay, here
I\'ll get the door for you.
24:05.186 --> 24:05.811
- Oh.
- Ooh.
24:05.811 --> 24:07.521
- Oh.
- Ooh.
24:07.521 --> 24:08.773
- Gross!
24:08.773 --> 24:10.232
- [Sophie] That was a rotten egg too!
24:10.232 --> 24:11.108
- [Cynthia] Okay, then.
24:11.108 --> 24:13.486
- [Lilah] I don\'t know if I
wanna pick up the next one.
24:13.486 --> 24:15.363
- [Cynthia] This one\'s okay.
24:26.290 --> 24:26.958
- My mom is--
- My mom is eccentric.
24:26.958 --> 24:29.585
- My mom is--
- My mom is eccentric.
24:29.585 --> 24:33.172
- My mom is weird.
24:33.172 --> 24:33.255
Yeah.
24:33.255 --> 24:34.548
Yeah.
24:34.548 --> 24:37.969
Professionally she\'s a person
who gets people out of prison
24:37.969 --> 24:40.304
and for fun she\'s just all like,
24:40.304 --> 24:42.890
hmm, blah and spazzes out.
24:42.890 --> 24:44.392
- She talks to people
24:44.392 --> 24:46.852
and then she writes stuff on the computer
24:46.852 --> 24:49.563
and then she makes sure
people does stuff, and then--
24:49.563 --> 24:50.731
- She has meetings a lot
24:50.731 --> 24:51.691
- Yeah, and--
24:51.691 --> 24:54.610
- [Lilah] And she goes to a
prison in the desert a lot.
24:54.610 --> 24:56.320
- [Sophie] And then she\'d cry.
24:56.320 --> 24:57.446
- She cries a lot.
24:57.446 --> 24:58.447
- For a long time.
24:58.447 --> 24:59.281
- A lot.
24:59.865 --> 25:00.408
- Activism\'s very labor
intensive and annoying
25:00.408 --> 25:03.577
- Activism\'s very labor
intensive and annoying
25:03.577 --> 25:05.413
and I would not do it.
25:06.372 --> 25:06.998
It\'s important but boring.
25:06.998 --> 25:09.208
It\'s important but boring.
25:09.208 --> 25:09.834
- Yeah.
25:09.834 --> 25:11.168
- I\'d rather do genetics.
25:11.168 --> 25:12.420
- Ditto.
25:12.420 --> 25:14.588
- You don\'t even know what genetics are!
25:14.588 --> 25:17.717
- I know, right (laughs)!
25:17.717 --> 25:18.134
(gentle music)
25:18.134 --> 25:20.302
(gentle music)
25:20.886 --> 25:21.470
- I grew up in a really
controlled household.
25:21.470 --> 25:25.474
- I grew up in a really
controlled household.
25:25.474 --> 25:27.893
My house was sort of museum perfect,
25:27.893 --> 25:29.770
photo ready at all times.
25:31.897 --> 25:32.565
And doing things that
were just in the face
25:32.565 --> 25:35.234
And doing things that
were just in the face
25:35.234 --> 25:37.194
of what social norms and standards were,
25:37.194 --> 25:39.947
was very key to my teenage years
25:39.947 --> 25:42.450
of rebelling against my household.
25:42.450 --> 25:45.953
I was the only girl in my
entire school with a Mohawk.
25:45.953 --> 25:47.246
There were kids in my
school who were like,
25:47.246 --> 25:49.248
\"Why do you look so weird?\"
25:49.248 --> 25:51.042
(Cynthia laughing)
25:51.042 --> 25:53.335
Like, \"Why do you do this?\"
25:53.878 --> 25:54.670
I found a sense of
community and camaraderie
25:54.670 --> 25:57.506
I found a sense of
community and camaraderie
25:57.506 --> 26:02.386
with teens that were living
and working on the streets.
26:02.386 --> 26:02.762
We used to hang out by the
Liberty Bell in Philadelphia
26:02.762 --> 26:06.640
We used to hang out by the
Liberty Bell in Philadelphia
26:06.640 --> 26:10.519
and snarl and make faces with
all of our punk regalia on
26:10.519 --> 26:12.772
and charge like five bucks
a picture from tourists.
26:12.772 --> 26:15.066
So, there could be something
as innocent as that.
26:15.066 --> 26:19.487
To, people selling drugs,
to people selling sex.
26:19.487 --> 26:23.657
Basically doing whatever
they had to do to get by.
26:24.533 --> 26:25.201
You couldn\'t hang out
with kids in the 1980s
26:25.201 --> 26:28.662
You couldn\'t hang out
with kids in the 1980s
26:28.662 --> 26:30.664
in the emergence of the HIV epidemic
26:30.664 --> 26:34.293
and not understand the
horrors of policing,
26:34.293 --> 26:36.670
the horrors of what happens
when people don\'t have access
26:36.670 --> 26:39.298
to healthcare, the horrors of racism,
26:39.298 --> 26:42.093
all of this stuff, all intertwined.
26:42.343 --> 26:43.010
I could be with those kids
on the same street corner
26:43.010 --> 26:45.387
I could be with those kids
on the same street corner
26:45.387 --> 26:47.515
and my life was going
to turn out differently
26:47.515 --> 26:51.227
because of my class privilege
and racial privilege.
26:53.145 --> 26:53.813
And so I felt like it behooved me
26:53.813 --> 26:55.523
And so I felt like it behooved me
26:55.523 --> 26:57.817
to do something to change that.
27:09.161 --> 27:09.745
We were all really optimistic
about Kelli\'s case.
27:09.745 --> 27:12.873
We were all really optimistic
about Kelli\'s case.
27:12.873 --> 27:15.042
It seemed like one of those rare instances
27:15.042 --> 27:18.671
where we really could see justice happen.
27:18.671 --> 27:21.882
When she lost, it was just devastating.
27:23.300 --> 27:23.968
And then suddenly a
whistleblower sent us the minutes
27:23.968 --> 27:27.304
And then suddenly a
whistleblower sent us the minutes
27:27.304 --> 27:28.764
of a recent committee meeting
27:28.764 --> 27:32.017
of the California
Department of Corrections.
27:32.059 --> 27:32.852
I was trying to figure
out what to search for
27:32.852 --> 27:34.311
I was trying to figure
out what to search for
27:34.311 --> 27:37.148
and I thought for sure it would be hidden.
27:37.148 --> 27:38.566
And then I saw the header,
27:38.566 --> 27:41.068
Birth Control and
Sterilization right there.
27:41.068 --> 27:43.070
(mysterious music)
27:43.070 --> 27:45.447
Their research showed it
would be very cost effective
27:45.447 --> 27:49.201
to sterilize women during
labor and delivery.
27:49.910 --> 27:50.578
- They were discussing
within their meeting
27:50.578 --> 27:52.746
- They were discussing
within their meeting
27:52.746 --> 27:55.166
about how to reclassify tubal ligation
27:55.166 --> 27:56.750
as medically necessary in order for it
27:56.750 --> 27:58.627
to be paid for by the state.
27:58.627 --> 28:01.881
- Federal and state laws
prohibit sterilizing people
28:01.881 --> 28:04.341
in prison for the purpose of birth control
28:04.341 --> 28:06.719
but they were doing it anyway.
28:06.719 --> 28:11.098
So we sent a list of questions
to the Federal Receivership.
28:11.098 --> 28:11.765
The whole job of that
office is to make sure
28:11.765 --> 28:14.185
The whole job of that
office is to make sure
28:14.185 --> 28:17.771
the laws are followed in
healthcare delivery in the prisons.
28:17.771 --> 28:18.063
One of the questions was
had they in fact started
28:18.063 --> 28:20.649
One of the questions was
had they in fact started
28:20.649 --> 28:23.819
sterilizing women during
labor and delivery?
28:23.819 --> 28:25.196
And the response was that yes,
28:25.196 --> 28:28.741
they were doing that
at two women\'s prisons.
28:29.241 --> 28:29.909
This was signed by the
Federal Receiver himself.
28:29.909 --> 28:32.828
This was signed by the
Federal Receiver himself.
28:32.828 --> 28:36.916
And could he be so clueless
that he wouldn\'t even know
28:36.916 --> 28:39.793
that he had just like stuck
his foot in his mouth?
28:39.793 --> 28:39.919
(powerful music)
28:39.919 --> 28:42.379
(powerful music)
28:43.631 --> 28:44.256
Any hearing that came up
28:44.256 --> 28:45.424
Any hearing that came up
28:45.424 --> 28:48.969
that even touched on
women\'s prisons, I would go.
28:48.969 --> 28:52.806
So there\'s a federal
law that made it illegal
28:52.806 --> 28:54.934
for any entity that gets federal dollars
28:54.934 --> 28:56.685
to sterilize people who,
28:56.685 --> 28:58.812
for the purpose of birth
control who are in prisons.
28:58.812 --> 29:00.940
And then I would present
people the minutes
29:00.940 --> 29:04.068
and I would say, \"Hey, the
state has recommended this.
29:04.068 --> 29:04.985
\"This is outrageous.
29:04.985 --> 29:07.112
\"This is illegal under federal law.\"
29:07.112 --> 29:09.823
They see that as a cost-effective moment,
29:09.823 --> 29:12.409
an opportune moment in
which to sterilize people.
29:12.409 --> 29:13.369
- [Woman] Definition section...
29:13.369 --> 29:14.828
- We were assured that, no, no,
29:14.828 --> 29:17.706
that was just something
that people talked about in
29:17.706 --> 29:19.583
that meeting but they
actually weren\'t going to do
29:19.583 --> 29:21.669
or it was just an aside.
29:21.669 --> 29:23.254
It wasn\'t a big deal.
29:23.254 --> 29:24.838
They\'re not actually doing that.
29:24.838 --> 29:26.715
Just don\'t worry your pretty little heads.
29:26.715 --> 29:30.261
- We were met with comments like, \"Well,
29:30.261 --> 29:32.471
\"those women wouldn\'t really
wanna have more children
29:32.471 --> 29:34.139
\"anyway, would they?\"
29:42.439 --> 29:43.107
- I was in between projects.
29:43.107 --> 29:46.110
- I was in between projects.
29:46.110 --> 29:49.321
So I was kinda prospecting,
29:49.321 --> 29:54.034
and CNN was playing in the background.
29:54.410 --> 29:55.035
- Tonight a report on a
really disturbing chapter
29:55.035 --> 29:56.870
- Tonight a report on a
really disturbing chapter
29:56.870 --> 29:58.747
in our history, one
that\'s a lot more recent
29:58.747 --> 29:59.832
than you might think.
29:59.832 --> 30:01.000
We\'re talking about eugenics,
30:01.000 --> 30:03.419
a word which is obviously
typically associated
30:03.419 --> 30:04.753
with Nazi Germany.
30:04.753 --> 30:06.880
But there was a large
eugenics movement in America
30:06.880 --> 30:08.841
before and after World War II.
30:08.841 --> 30:09.633
- [Reporter] The goal?
30:09.633 --> 30:12.761
To rid the country of the feeble minded.
30:12.761 --> 30:17.182
- Disability, race, and
gender were the criteria.
30:17.182 --> 30:21.770
By the 1930s, thirty states
had passed laws allowing
30:21.770 --> 30:23.856
for coercive sterilization.
30:23.856 --> 30:26.650
- [Reporter] But California
was in a league of its own.
30:26.650 --> 30:30.321
The Golden State sterilized
20 thousand people.
30:30.321 --> 30:32.031
- That blew my mind.
30:32.281 --> 30:33.449
More people were sterilized in California
30:33.449 --> 30:35.909
More people were sterilized in California
30:35.909 --> 30:39.621
than any other state in the country.
30:39.621 --> 30:42.207
(mysterious music)
30:45.044 --> 30:45.794
The Germans had actually
came over to California
30:45.794 --> 30:48.547
The Germans had actually
came over to California
30:48.547 --> 30:52.926
to study California\'s program
and then used the lessons
30:52.926 --> 30:56.930
to create their eugenics
program in Nazi Germany.
30:56.930 --> 30:58.640
- [Dorothy] After World War II,
30:58.640 --> 31:02.811
eugenics goes sort of underground.
31:02.811 --> 31:05.898
- [Narrator] The distribution
of people is far off balance.
31:05.898 --> 31:09.360
High birth rates go hand
in hand with low income.
31:09.360 --> 31:14.823
- It became more a policy
of population control
31:14.823 --> 31:17.910
through birth control
policy, welfare policy.
31:17.910 --> 31:21.288
And now it was targeted
mostly at women of color.
31:21.288 --> 31:23.665
♪ Got enough children, what do we do ♪
31:23.665 --> 31:26.960
♪ Got enough children, what do we do ♪
31:26.960 --> 31:29.588
- [Dorothy] There are
government-sponsored campaigns
31:29.588 --> 31:33.967
to sterilize indigenous
women, women on Puerto Rico,
31:33.967 --> 31:36.720
Mexican origin women in California,
31:36.720 --> 31:40.099
as well as black women
in the United States.
31:40.099 --> 31:41.558
- [Interviewer] You\'re
saying, sterilize the woman
31:41.558 --> 31:43.519
if she\'s had more than
two illegitimate children?
31:43.519 --> 31:44.311
- Right.
31:44.311 --> 31:45.312
- [Interviewer] If she\'s on welfare?
31:45.312 --> 31:46.230
- Absolutely.
31:46.230 --> 31:48.107
- Last week a black Alabama couple
31:48.107 --> 31:49.817
filed a one-million-dollar damage suit
31:49.817 --> 31:51.276
against the government charging
31:51.276 --> 31:53.278
that their two daughters
had been sterilized
31:53.278 --> 31:55.406
without their informed consent.
31:55.406 --> 31:59.868
- I put a X on a piece
of paper and she told me,
31:59.868 --> 32:02.287
that they were gonna give them some shots.
32:02.287 --> 32:03.122
- [Man] I see.
32:03.122 --> 32:04.289
- That\'s what she told me.
32:04.289 --> 32:05.707
- [Interviewer] Why were
they giving you the shots
32:05.707 --> 32:07.042
in the first place?
32:07.042 --> 32:10.129
- It keeping us from having children.
32:10.129 --> 32:13.715
They said they didn\'t want
us to have no children.
32:13.715 --> 32:16.343
- [Interviewer] Did it hurt you?
32:19.221 --> 32:19.972
- Doctors around the country
performed hysterectomies
32:19.972 --> 32:23.434
- Doctors around the country
performed hysterectomies
32:23.434 --> 32:27.729
on young black women just
to practice hysterectomies.
32:27.729 --> 32:29.314
- [Anderson] 10s of thousands of Americans
32:29.314 --> 32:31.191
were operated on against their will,
32:31.191 --> 32:32.609
or without their consent.
32:32.609 --> 32:33.610
- [Reporter] The government today
32:33.610 --> 32:36.029
announced strict new
rules to protect people
32:36.029 --> 32:37.614
who are sterilized.
- The guidelines require
32:37.614 --> 32:39.158
written informed consent.
- A Washington federal judge
32:39.158 --> 32:40.033
barred the government
- Expected to effect
32:40.033 --> 32:41.743
more than a 100 thousand persons a year.
32:41.743 --> 32:45.372
Of minors under age 21,
welfare mothers and others.
32:47.082 --> 32:47.791
- The idea sparked in my head
32:47.791 --> 32:50.085
- The idea sparked in my head
32:50.085 --> 32:52.171
that I would spend some time looking
32:52.171 --> 32:56.049
at historical eugenics in California.
32:56.049 --> 32:59.178
I started to google and I saw an article
32:59.178 --> 33:01.680
that Cynthia Chandler had written.
33:01.680 --> 33:03.932
So I immediately called her up.
33:03.932 --> 33:07.060
And I was like, \"Is it true
33:07.060 --> 33:11.648
\"that there are people in the
prisons getting sterilized?\"
33:11.648 --> 33:14.109
And she said, \"Of course it\'s true.\"
33:14.651 --> 33:15.360
- We\'ve heard from a lot of people
33:15.360 --> 33:16.653
- We\'ve heard from a lot of people
33:16.653 --> 33:21.074
about the surgeries that
are happening on the inside.
33:21.074 --> 33:21.408
What a hysterectomy is, is
the removal of your uterus.
33:21.408 --> 33:25.662
What a hysterectomy is, is
the removal of your uterus.
33:25.662 --> 33:28.332
They typically would take
the fallopian tubes as well
33:28.332 --> 33:30.626
and possibly the ovaries.
33:30.626 --> 33:32.503
When the ovaries are removed
33:32.503 --> 33:34.671
and there\'s that big drop in estrogen,
33:34.671 --> 33:36.673
people can have a lot
of different symptoms.
33:36.673 --> 33:39.635
Having a lot of hot
flashes, big mood changes,
33:39.635 --> 33:41.678
and your period stops.
33:41.678 --> 33:43.263
And then another thing that
we were hearing from people
33:43.263 --> 33:45.057
was tubal ligation.
33:45.057 --> 33:48.393
The surgeon will cut the fallopian tubes.
33:48.393 --> 33:51.522
We\'ve heard from
individuals who were asked
33:51.522 --> 33:54.233
to sign forms when they were
being put under anesthesia,
33:54.233 --> 33:56.527
if the doctor is asking repeatedly
33:56.527 --> 33:58.737
and you don\'t say yes,
they might just go ahead
33:58.737 --> 34:02.282
and do it anyway, especially
if you\'re having a C-section,
34:02.282 --> 34:04.451
because your reproductive organs,
34:04.451 --> 34:05.953
all of this good stuff,
34:05.953 --> 34:08.997
it\'s already out on the
table basically, literally.
34:08.997 --> 34:13.001
It would not be difficult,
cut and cauterize your tubes
34:13.001 --> 34:14.253
if they wanted to.
34:14.253 --> 34:18.423
And you don\'t know that you
can\'t have more children
34:18.423 --> 34:19.591
in the future.
34:21.134 --> 34:21.760
(gentle music)
34:21.760 --> 34:24.388
(gentle music)
34:30.227 --> 34:30.852
- I was given a six month
sentence and I was pregnant.
34:30.852 --> 34:35.566
- I was given a six month
sentence and I was pregnant.
34:35.566 --> 34:35.774
So I asked the judge if
I could either be sent
34:35.774 --> 34:40.571
So I asked the judge if
I could either be sent
34:40.571 --> 34:44.741
to a mother infant program
instead of going to prison.
34:44.741 --> 34:47.452
That way I could avoid
giving birth in prison
34:47.452 --> 34:50.872
and being separated from my newborn baby.
34:50.872 --> 34:53.166
And she didn\'t wanna do that.
34:54.293 --> 34:55.127
They made me have a C-section.
34:55.127 --> 34:57.462
They made me have a C-section.
34:57.879 --> 34:58.630
And I kept asking her why do
I have to have a C-section?
34:58.630 --> 35:02.759
And I kept asking her why do
I have to have a C-section?
35:02.759 --> 35:05.887
They said because of security purposes.
35:06.221 --> 35:07.055
You\'re gonna do major surgery
on me and cut open my body
35:07.055 --> 35:10.475
You\'re gonna do major surgery
on me and cut open my body
35:10.475 --> 35:12.728
for security purposes?
35:14.229 --> 35:14.938
I get to Madera County hospital,
35:14.938 --> 35:17.733
I get to Madera County hospital,
35:17.733 --> 35:21.737
I\'m handcuffed to the bed,
cut open, under anesthesia.
35:21.737 --> 35:22.821
I had an epidural.
35:22.821 --> 35:26.533
I\'m just majorly drugged up
35:26.533 --> 35:26.825
to where I don\'t even know
35:26.825 --> 35:29.244
to where I don\'t even know
35:29.244 --> 35:32.080
probably what day of the week it is.
35:33.165 --> 35:33.915
The doctor had me sign a form.
35:33.915 --> 35:36.793
The doctor had me sign a form.
35:36.793 --> 35:37.252
He said, \"Are we doing
a tubal ligation here?\"
35:37.252 --> 35:40.631
He said, \"Are we doing
a tubal ligation here?\"
35:40.631 --> 35:42.174
That\'s something you\'re
supposed to sit down
35:42.174 --> 35:45.218
and discuss in the office
prior to the surgery.
35:45.218 --> 35:47.346
That\'s not something you just throw on me
35:47.346 --> 35:49.348
as you\'re cutting me open.
35:50.140 --> 35:50.849
And I declined and I couldn\'t even sign it
35:50.849 --> 35:53.268
And I declined and I couldn\'t even sign it
35:53.268 --> 35:55.395
so I just put an X.
35:55.395 --> 35:56.104
And I have no idea what I X\'d.
35:56.104 --> 35:58.690
And I have no idea what I X\'d.
36:04.863 --> 36:05.656
- [Cynthia] We started putting in a series
36:05.656 --> 36:07.115
- [Cynthia] We started putting in a series
36:07.115 --> 36:09.993
of public record act
requests to get the numbers
36:09.993 --> 36:14.122
and the data on how many
people were sterilized.
36:14.122 --> 36:16.541
- So this is all the data,
this is vaginal deliveries
36:16.541 --> 36:17.542
and C-sections that\'s in here.
36:17.542 --> 36:18.543
- [Cynthia] Right.
36:18.543 --> 36:23.006
222 C-sections out of 393 births.
36:23.006 --> 36:23.715
- [Robin] Yeah.
36:23.715 --> 36:24.257
- [Robin] Yeah.
36:24.257 --> 36:25.676
- [Cynthia] That\'s a really remarkably
36:25.676 --> 36:26.968
high rate of C-sections.
36:26.968 --> 36:28.011
- [Robin] Yeah.
36:28.428 --> 36:28.970
- [Cynthia] It\'s a little fishy to imagine
36:28.970 --> 36:30.722
- [Cynthia] It\'s a little fishy to imagine
36:30.722 --> 36:34.017
that multiple people would be
giving birth on the same day
36:34.017 --> 36:35.977
also having C-sections and also choosing
36:35.977 --> 36:37.604
to have tubal ligations.
36:39.606 --> 36:40.273
- [Robin] So you can see
there\'s ligate oviducts add-on
36:40.273 --> 36:43.276
- [Robin] So you can see
there\'s ligate oviducts add-on
36:43.276 --> 36:46.613
and that kind of kills
me, the add-on part.
36:46.613 --> 36:48.615
It wasn\'t necessary for the surgery
36:48.615 --> 36:50.033
but we thought we\'d just
36:50.033 --> 36:52.994
take away your reproductive capacity.
36:52.994 --> 36:55.580
(investigative music)
36:56.748 --> 36:57.416
- Justice Now had gotten a partial list
36:57.416 --> 37:00.877
- Justice Now had gotten a partial list
37:00.877 --> 37:05.424
of tubal ligation surgeries
that had been reimbursed
37:05.424 --> 37:08.885
to the doctors so the state
were paying the doctors
37:08.885 --> 37:11.930
for having performed these surgeries.
37:11.930 --> 37:13.473
As an investigative reporter,
37:13.473 --> 37:18.562
I\'ve seen spreadsheets
that have fields removed.
37:18.562 --> 37:21.356
And I was like there\'s more to this data
37:21.356 --> 37:23.900
than what you guys have.
37:25.360 --> 37:26.153
There is a culture of
secrecy in California.
37:26.153 --> 37:30.574
There is a culture of
secrecy in California.
37:30.574 --> 37:32.909
They don\'t call it secrecy,
they call it privacy.
37:32.909 --> 37:35.787
Not only do you have women in prison,
37:35.787 --> 37:39.958
you have laws around protecting
their confidentiality,
37:39.958 --> 37:42.461
but then you have medical privacy.
37:42.461 --> 37:44.921
There\'s just layers and layers
37:44.921 --> 37:50.594
of plausible reasons
why somebody can say no.
37:50.594 --> 37:53.930
So I was getting doors slammed
37:53.930 --> 37:56.892
and stonewalled left and right.
37:56.892 --> 37:58.602
Then it became a question
37:58.602 --> 38:01.813
of how do I put a human face on this data.
38:02.689 --> 38:03.356
Justice Now had access on the
inside that I didn\'t have.
38:03.356 --> 38:08.528
Justice Now had access on the
inside that I didn\'t have.
38:08.528 --> 38:12.115
And so I was very anxious.
38:12.115 --> 38:14.701
You know, hook me up here, give me access
38:14.701 --> 38:16.828
to somebody who can help me.
38:18.789 --> 38:19.414
- In 2006, I was sentenced to
Valley State Prison for Women.
38:19.414 --> 38:23.960
- In 2006, I was sentenced to
Valley State Prison for Women.
38:23.960 --> 38:27.798
I was 21 years old and I
was pregnant at the time.
38:28.381 --> 38:29.007
- Someone asked me to
work out at the prison
38:29.007 --> 38:31.968
- Someone asked me to
work out at the prison
38:31.968 --> 38:33.720
in the OB department.
38:33.720 --> 38:35.722
And I\'m like, \"OB department?\"
38:35.722 --> 38:38.975
You have an OB department in prison?
38:38.975 --> 38:40.644
Yeah.
38:40.644 --> 38:42.395
You know, women come in pregnant.
38:42.395 --> 38:47.275
And I\'m like oh, okay (laughs).
38:47.275 --> 38:48.860
That\'s a new thought.
38:49.778 --> 38:50.403
- See when you go way over on this side
38:50.403 --> 38:51.988
- See when you go way over on this side
38:51.988 --> 38:53.281
there\'s just not much fluid
38:53.281 --> 38:54.825
and you\'ve had this happen to you before.
38:54.825 --> 38:55.700
- Yeah.
38:55.700 --> 38:59.287
- I was there being seen by Dr. Heinrich.
38:59.287 --> 39:01.873
He was eating while I was, you know,
39:01.873 --> 39:04.709
laid up on the bed waiting to be examined.
39:04.709 --> 39:10.131
- He would be doing a vaginal
exam and be smacking his lips
39:10.131 --> 39:13.426
and that just grossed the patients out.
39:13.426 --> 39:17.472
- And I\'m like, is this the best time
39:17.472 --> 39:18.557
to be eating that sandwich?
39:18.557 --> 39:21.434
Right, while you\'re doing a pap smear?
39:22.394 --> 39:23.144
- [Corey] He\'d be working
without gloves on,
39:23.144 --> 39:25.480
- [Corey] He\'d be working
without gloves on,
39:25.480 --> 39:26.565
or eating popcorn.
39:26.565 --> 39:28.149
It was just filthy.
39:30.235 --> 39:30.861
He had a history of lawsuits
39:30.861 --> 39:33.989
He had a history of lawsuits
39:33.989 --> 39:36.575
that resulted in settlements
39:36.575 --> 39:40.453
where the allegations were really serious.
39:40.453 --> 39:42.914
We\'re talking basic level mistakes
39:42.914 --> 39:46.585
that resulted in permanently
deformed children
39:46.585 --> 39:49.045
or permanently deformed women.
39:52.215 --> 39:52.883
- I ended up working at the infirmary.
39:52.883 --> 39:55.218
- I ended up working at the infirmary.
39:55.218 --> 39:58.346
I would have to give
the inmates urine cups
39:58.346 --> 40:00.473
and write their name on it.
40:00.473 --> 40:01.641
While I was working the infirmary,
40:01.641 --> 40:03.476
Dr. Heinrich made a comment
40:03.476 --> 40:05.729
that some people shouldn\'t have kids,
40:05.729 --> 40:08.023
because they keep coming
back and forth to prison,
40:08.023 --> 40:10.233
he sees women that come back and forth
40:10.233 --> 40:14.779
to prison all the time and
they keep coming back pregnant.
40:15.280 --> 40:15.906
- Heinrich would look at their file.
40:15.906 --> 40:18.199
- Heinrich would look at their file.
40:18.199 --> 40:20.535
He would figure out if
this was their first time
40:20.535 --> 40:22.621
or if this was a repeat time.
40:22.621 --> 40:24.372
And then he would make a judgment call
40:24.372 --> 40:28.960
to pitch the woman on
getting their tubes tied.
40:28.960 --> 40:34.799
- He would become somewhat
pushy about it and insistent.
40:34.799 --> 40:36.259
- I talked to the nurses all the time
40:36.259 --> 40:39.512
and I don\'t know if maybe
they played a factor
40:39.512 --> 40:45.226
in softening up Dr. Heinrich
not to have me sterilized
40:45.226 --> 40:47.938
because it was my first time in prison.
40:48.563 --> 40:49.397
- One of the challenges with this story
40:49.397 --> 40:51.816
- One of the challenges with this story
40:51.816 --> 40:54.277
and the question of eugenics,
40:54.277 --> 40:57.656
you ultimately have to get to intent.
40:57.656 --> 40:58.281
You have inmates making allegations
40:58.281 --> 41:01.242
You have inmates making allegations
41:01.242 --> 41:04.537
against people who have PhDs, right?
41:04.537 --> 41:08.416
And so the question then
becomes how do you know
41:08.416 --> 41:11.294
that the crook is telling the truth?
41:11.878 --> 41:12.545
So I\'m calling Dr. Heinrich
and I get a woman she says,
41:12.545 --> 41:17.550
So I\'m calling Dr. Heinrich
and I get a woman she says,
41:17.550 --> 41:20.387
\"He\'s not gonna talk,\"
she slams the phone down.
41:20.387 --> 41:22.555
But I\'m getting desperate.
41:22.847 --> 41:23.431
And I decide to just get in
my car and drive to his house.
41:23.431 --> 41:28.144
And I decide to just get in
my car and drive to his house.
41:28.144 --> 41:33.149
And I just knock on the door
and I\'m drenched in sweat,
41:33.149 --> 41:33.441
and he came to the door and I said,
41:33.441 --> 41:35.986
and he came to the door and I said,
41:35.986 --> 41:38.863
\"Hi, Dr. Heinrich, my
name\'s Corey Johnson,
41:38.863 --> 41:42.283
\"I\'m with Center for
Investigative Reporting,
41:42.283 --> 41:45.537
\"can I have some water?\"
41:45.537 --> 41:49.290
And he stopped and he
said, \"Okay, come on in.\"
41:49.290 --> 41:53.003
And as I get the water,
I pull out my laptop
41:53.003 --> 41:56.923
and I show him a spreadsheet of costs
41:56.923 --> 42:00.468
and I say to him point
blank, \"The rules say
42:00.468 --> 42:04.305
\"that sterilization
procedures were banned.
42:04.305 --> 42:06.891
\"And according to this spreadsheet,
42:06.891 --> 42:11.604
\"there\'s well over
$100,000 that has been paid
42:11.604 --> 42:15.358
of taxpayer money on a
procedure that\'s banned.\"
42:15.358 --> 42:16.568
And then that\'s when he said,
42:16.568 --> 42:19.446
\"Well, that\'s cheaper than welfare.\"
42:19.446 --> 42:20.071
- [Reporter 1] A bombshell report from the
42:20.071 --> 42:21.614
- [Reporter 1] A bombshell report from the
42:21.614 --> 42:23.324
Center of Investigative Reporting--
42:23.324 --> 42:24.743
- [Reporter 2] Female
inmates in California
42:24.743 --> 42:26.036
were illegally sterilized.
42:26.036 --> 42:28.955
- [Reporter 3] Doctors pressured
them into tubal ligations.
42:28.955 --> 42:32.250
- While they were on an
operating table, heavily sedated.
42:32.250 --> 42:34.210
- That\'s absolutely not
the appropriate time
42:34.210 --> 42:35.754
to be attempting to get consent
42:35.754 --> 42:37.672
for major life-changing surgery.
42:37.672 --> 42:38.798
- [Reporter] Prison officials claim
42:38.798 --> 42:40.341
it helped save the state money.
42:40.341 --> 42:41.885
- It\'s like a drop in the bucket compared
42:41.885 --> 42:44.763
to quote, \"What you save in welfare
42:44.763 --> 42:46.598
\"paying for these unwanted children
42:46.598 --> 42:48.224
\"as they procreated more.\"
42:48.224 --> 42:48.933
- And these are by the way,
42:48.933 --> 42:51.227
mostly repeat offenders
who were sterilized.
42:51.227 --> 42:53.063
- Where are they getting
pregnant in prison,
42:53.063 --> 42:55.398
like that\'s the first
question you have to address?
42:55.398 --> 42:57.233
- No, absolutely not.
- Disgusting, eww.
42:57.233 --> 43:00.528
- When the story came out, within hours
43:00.528 --> 43:03.782
there were at least 700 comments.
43:03.782 --> 43:06.785
Within a day there was over 2000.
43:06.951 --> 43:07.619
- [Woman] Why does the state
need to give its consent
43:07.619 --> 43:09.788
- [Woman] Why does the state
need to give its consent
43:09.788 --> 43:11.956
if the women already are?
43:11.956 --> 43:14.834
- [Man] We give our
criminals way too many rights
43:14.834 --> 43:16.002
when they go to prison.
43:16.002 --> 43:18.963
People get up in arms and
say this is like eugenics.
43:18.963 --> 43:20.965
- [Woman] If they can\'t
stay out of jail and raise
43:20.965 --> 43:23.927
their kids without our
assistance, why reproduce?
43:23.927 --> 43:27.138
Can you explain why you
consider these coercive?
43:27.138 --> 43:29.682
- [Woman] Since when do
prisoners\' rights trump the rights
43:29.682 --> 43:31.267
of the people that live in
the state of California.
43:31.267 --> 43:32.644
- [Man] Unless you can
step forward and show
43:32.644 --> 43:34.437
that you have the financial wherewithal
43:34.437 --> 43:35.814
to take care of the child, I\'m going
43:35.814 --> 43:38.817
to prohibit you from having a child...
43:39.275 --> 43:39.984
- [Corey] It got real ugly.
43:39.984 --> 43:42.403
- [Corey] It got real ugly.
43:42.403 --> 43:46.282
There were days where I just
would not look at the comments
43:46.282 --> 43:50.995
because I didn\'t want to be
messed up in the head all day.
43:55.291 --> 43:55.959
- [Chair] Okay, if
everybody would take a seat,
43:55.959 --> 43:57.335
- [Chair] Okay, if
everybody would take a seat,
43:57.335 --> 43:59.003
we\'re gonna get started.
44:01.923 --> 44:02.590
- The fact that it is the 21st century
44:02.590 --> 44:05.343
- The fact that it is the 21st century
44:05.343 --> 44:08.054
and we have to ask our
state auditor to see
44:08.054 --> 44:12.016
if women in California are
being coercively sterilized
44:12.016 --> 44:16.020
is absolutely unconscionable
and frankly revolting.
44:16.104 --> 44:17.188
- Joyce Hayhoe representing
44:17.188 --> 44:18.439
- Joyce Hayhoe representing
44:18.439 --> 44:20.859
California Correctional
Healthcare Services.
44:20.859 --> 44:23.778
First of all we support this
audit request and we believe--
44:23.778 --> 44:25.363
- Well, I certainly as chair appreciate
44:25.363 --> 44:27.574
that you\'re here to support the audit.
44:27.574 --> 44:31.619
I think the more important
question is why you didn\'t know.
44:31.619 --> 44:34.998
The Receiver was put in place specifically
44:34.998 --> 44:39.085
to come in and protect the
constitutional rights of inmates.
44:39.085 --> 44:40.503
- Mr. Kelso was not aware
44:40.503 --> 44:42.338
until it was brought to my attention.
44:42.338 --> 44:45.049
- Receiver himself was not aware--
44:45.049 --> 44:45.758
- [Joyce] Not until 2010--
44:45.758 --> 44:47.343
- Of what was happening under his watch?
44:47.343 --> 44:47.886
- Correct.
44:47.886 --> 44:48.636
- [Chair] That\'s your testimony today?
44:48.636 --> 44:49.470
- Yes, yes.
44:49.470 --> 44:50.305
- [Chair] Okay.
44:50.305 --> 44:53.016
- I do believe that the
Receiver\'s office itself
44:53.016 --> 44:55.476
was in fact aware of that before then.
44:55.476 --> 44:57.645
And if you go from September 10, 2008
44:57.645 --> 44:59.772
and move forward to 2010,
44:59.772 --> 45:02.901
over 50 people were illegally
sterilized during labor
45:02.901 --> 45:04.319
and delivery in that period.
45:04.319 --> 45:07.488
- Medical doctors thought that it was okay
45:07.488 --> 45:10.200
to sterilize women
without their permission?
45:10.200 --> 45:11.659
- No, um.
45:11.659 --> 45:14.078
Medical doctors thought it was okay
45:14.078 --> 45:18.416
to sterilize women having
been given informed consent.
45:18.416 --> 45:19.792
And so most of--
45:19.792 --> 45:20.501
- [Committee Member]
Isn\'t that the same as
45:20.501 --> 45:21.419
without their permission?
45:21.419 --> 45:22.253
I\'m confused on the--
45:22.253 --> 45:25.632
- Women were signing consent forms.
45:25.632 --> 45:26.799
- I\'d love to see a copy of that form
45:26.799 --> 45:28.259
to see if I could even understand it,
45:28.259 --> 45:30.637
let alone a woman that\'s under duress.
45:30.637 --> 45:32.096
This is, this is unbelievable.
45:32.096 --> 45:34.515
- One should not be
asked in that environment
45:34.515 --> 45:37.769
to give up a fundamental
right to bear children.
45:37.769 --> 45:41.940
I\'ve had the displeasure of a dozen times
45:41.940 --> 45:43.524
going through people\'s medical records
45:43.524 --> 45:45.401
and learning that they were sterilized
45:45.401 --> 45:49.364
during unrelated medical
procedures and they didn\'t know it.
45:49.364 --> 45:50.406
The state has admitted
45:50.406 --> 45:52.242
that they have done
these illegal surgeries
45:52.242 --> 45:55.078
but we don\'t actually
know who they did them on.
45:55.078 --> 45:58.456
- I\'d like to prioritize this audit
45:58.456 --> 46:01.125
so that the auditor can put
this at the front of the line
46:01.125 --> 46:04.462
and get to it as quickly as possible.
46:04.545 --> 46:05.171
(investigative music)
46:05.171 --> 46:06.714
(investigative music)
46:06.714 --> 46:10.426
Okay, I would remind members
of the committee please...
46:10.426 --> 46:12.553
- It was incredibly affirming
46:12.553 --> 46:15.848
to hear the legislature call
these abuses outrageous.
46:15.848 --> 46:18.309
We\'ve been working for
years to get the government
46:18.309 --> 46:19.602
to take this seriously.
46:19.602 --> 46:21.604
Finally the state
legislators are standing up
46:21.604 --> 46:23.606
and doing what needs to be done.
46:23.606 --> 46:26.109
The Department of Corrections
and the Receivers claim,
46:26.109 --> 46:28.861
usually there was very
little personal knowledge
46:28.861 --> 46:31.739
on the part of prison
administrators of this happening.
46:31.739 --> 46:33.199
- It\'s my understanding that many
46:33.199 --> 46:36.119
of these did have some kind of
consent at the outside doctor
46:36.119 --> 46:37.412
because these procedures are performed
46:37.412 --> 46:40.290
in a community facility,
just so that\'s clear.
46:40.290 --> 46:42.125
They are not performed at the institution.
46:42.125 --> 46:45.753
- Doctors statewide
felt for whatever reason
46:45.753 --> 46:48.840
that it was being sanctioned
by the department.
46:48.840 --> 46:51.592
- There may be doctors who
aren\'t aware of the policy
46:51.592 --> 46:53.636
or the federal law issue.
46:53.636 --> 46:55.596
I can well imagine an outside physician
46:55.596 --> 46:58.182
in good faith thinking
that this is a matter
46:58.182 --> 47:01.769
of reproductive autonomy,
not knowing the conversation
47:01.769 --> 47:03.855
that has been going on about the inability
47:03.855 --> 47:07.608
to give valid consent in prison.
47:07.984 --> 47:08.735
- For inmates, to sign
consent is a really big deal.
47:08.735 --> 47:11.487
- For inmates, to sign
consent is a really big deal.
47:11.487 --> 47:13.489
Because they are seen
as a ward of the court
47:13.489 --> 47:16.659
and not really being allowed
to enter into contracts.
47:16.659 --> 47:18.661
You would think there
would have been a red flag
47:18.661 --> 47:21.497
when the billing departments
received those bills.
47:21.497 --> 47:24.042
- When I arrived at the
Receivership in 2008,
47:24.042 --> 47:28.671
we did not use standard
um medical billing codes.
47:28.671 --> 47:31.341
And so there really was no easy way for us
47:31.341 --> 47:33.926
to know what we were paying for.
47:34.093 --> 47:35.094
- That seems very unbelievable to me.
47:35.094 --> 47:37.805
- That seems very unbelievable to me.
47:38.306 --> 47:38.931
To do a medical procedure
there\'s incredible layers
47:38.931 --> 47:41.559
To do a medical procedure
there\'s incredible layers
47:41.559 --> 47:43.644
of paperwork that has to happen
47:43.644 --> 47:46.356
and it has to be vetted
by a medical committee
47:46.356 --> 47:47.690
at each prison.
47:52.320 --> 47:52.945
So I would suspect that
many high up officials
47:52.945 --> 47:55.531
So I would suspect that
many high up officials
47:55.531 --> 47:58.368
were in fact aware of what was going on
47:58.368 --> 48:00.661
and potentially part of it.
48:01.371 --> 48:01.996
- Everything had to go through committee
48:01.996 --> 48:04.499
- Everything had to go through committee
48:04.499 --> 48:06.542
and everything had to be documented
48:06.542 --> 48:08.961
as to why this was necessary.
48:11.798 --> 48:12.423
- At the point that
Dr. Heinrich was hired,
48:12.423 --> 48:15.593
- At the point that
Dr. Heinrich was hired,
48:15.593 --> 48:18.554
sterilization procedures
have been going on for years
48:18.554 --> 48:20.223
at multiple prisons.
48:20.640 --> 48:21.391
He strongly believed that there were women
48:21.391 --> 48:24.394
He strongly believed that there were women
48:24.394 --> 48:28.731
that were gaming the system,
and that needed to be stopped.
48:28.731 --> 48:34.570
- He was cognizant of costs
and trying to save the state
48:34.570 --> 48:37.824
and the prison system money.
48:38.199 --> 48:38.866
- That attitude tracked precisely
to the historical attitude
48:38.866 --> 48:44.288
- That attitude tracked precisely
to the historical attitude
48:44.288 --> 48:47.875
of the California leaders
of the eugenics movement.
48:47.875 --> 48:53.423
They had always used cost
benefit as the justifier
48:53.423 --> 48:56.175
for why they were doing
what they were doing,
48:56.175 --> 49:00.763
and so in that way, Heinrich
was part of a legacy.
49:00.763 --> 49:04.892
If you just stop and
make him the face of it,
49:04.892 --> 49:08.020
do you really get at the problem?
49:08.020 --> 49:10.606
(gentle music)
49:13.943 --> 49:14.360
(children cheering)
49:14.360 --> 49:16.446
(children cheering)
49:19.157 --> 49:19.490
- Thank you.
- Have a good day, see you.
49:19.490 --> 49:20.908
- Thank you.
- Have a good day, see you.
49:20.908 --> 49:21.868
- Alright.
- Have a good one.
49:21.868 --> 49:23.453
- Have a good day, you too.
49:23.453 --> 49:26.622
(ice cream truck music)
49:42.430 --> 49:43.055
This my space, for right now.
49:43.055 --> 49:45.766
This my space, for right now.
49:45.766 --> 49:49.479
Of course I desire to have my
own home but my mom\'s older,
49:49.479 --> 49:51.355
and you know I feel good about being able
49:51.355 --> 49:53.065
to be here with her.
49:53.065 --> 49:56.903
I wasn\'t able to be here with my dad.
49:56.903 --> 49:59.947
I lost my dad when I was in prison.
49:59.947 --> 50:01.699
So for God to give me an opportunity
50:01.699 --> 50:03.618
to be with my mom in her latter years,
50:03.618 --> 50:06.078
even though we fight like cats and dogs.
50:06.078 --> 50:08.206
But at the same time, she tough too.
50:08.206 --> 50:11.042
So she\'s one of my best opponents.
50:12.293 --> 50:12.960
My relationship with my
oldest son is very strained.
50:12.960 --> 50:16.797
My relationship with my
oldest son is very strained.
50:16.797 --> 50:21.802
He remembers some of the
episodes of domestic violence.
50:21.802 --> 50:25.097
I had to back up and give my son the space
50:25.097 --> 50:27.975
that he needs in order to
figure out what happened
50:27.975 --> 50:30.353
to not only him, but us.
50:30.353 --> 50:32.980
(Skype ringing)
50:33.564 --> 50:34.273
How you doin?
- Hi.
50:34.273 --> 50:36.359
How you doin?
- Hi.
50:36.359 --> 50:37.109
- [Kelli] What\'s up with it?
50:37.109 --> 50:38.069
- I\'m alright.
50:38.069 --> 50:38.819
- [Kelli] You alright?
50:38.819 --> 50:42.240
But my youngest son doesn\'t
remember the violence
50:42.240 --> 50:45.117
and the interaction with me as a mother.
50:45.117 --> 50:47.828
Listen, I supposed to come down there.
50:47.828 --> 50:51.082
Remember, I\'m trying to get
Anthony to come with me.
50:51.082 --> 50:53.751
And I think that at times
that he look at the fact
50:53.751 --> 50:57.171
that me and you, we get
along a little bit better.
50:57.171 --> 50:58.714
Because you just let shit hap...
50:58.714 --> 50:59.966
If it happen, it happen.
50:59.966 --> 51:01.175
Bygones is bygones.
51:01.175 --> 51:02.260
Okay, we passed that.
51:02.260 --> 51:03.761
- A lot of the shit that
we, we been through,
51:03.761 --> 51:05.263
I feel like we cool.
51:05.263 --> 51:06.847
We gotta get closer together.
51:06.847 --> 51:07.723
- Right.
51:07.723 --> 51:11.018
Thank God for this technology of FaceTime.
51:11.018 --> 51:13.020
Alright then baby, I love you.
51:13.521 --> 51:14.146
But to me the FaceTime is a glass window
51:14.146 --> 51:17.567
But to me the FaceTime is a glass window
51:17.567 --> 51:19.860
like when I was incarcerated.
51:22.488 --> 51:23.155
Instead of me having all these scars,
51:23.155 --> 51:26.325
Instead of me having all these scars,
51:26.325 --> 51:27.868
from the things that happened to me,
51:27.868 --> 51:32.456
I want things that symbolize my victories.
51:32.456 --> 51:35.334
And so to me, this with
the three butterflies
51:35.334 --> 51:38.045
that represent me and my two sons.
51:38.045 --> 51:39.714
And as soon as I got this tattoo,
51:39.714 --> 51:43.217
I just start feeling liberated, ya know.
51:43.217 --> 51:46.345
It\'s me taking the power back on my body,
51:46.345 --> 51:50.600
and putting things there
that represent who I am
51:50.600 --> 51:53.311
as opposed to what I\'ve been through.
51:56.897 --> 51:57.523
- [Hannah-Beth Jackson]
Good morning everybody.
51:57.523 --> 51:59.317
- [Hannah-Beth Jackson]
Good morning everybody.
51:59.317 --> 52:00.484
Good morning.
52:00.484 --> 52:01.652
All right.
52:01.652 --> 52:05.781
- We made a plan to speak
to different legislatures
52:05.781 --> 52:08.075
that we thought would be strategic.
52:08.075 --> 52:10.494
And Senator Jackson was
at the top of that list.
52:10.494 --> 52:12.246
- Boy, this thing moves slowly doesn\'t it.
52:12.246 --> 52:13.748
- She showed up to the hearing
52:13.748 --> 52:16.751
when she isn\'t on that committee.
52:16.751 --> 52:18.252
That doesn\'t happen (chuckle).
52:18.252 --> 52:19.754
Legislators that are on committees
52:19.754 --> 52:21.380
don\'t show up to their hearings.
52:21.380 --> 52:22.923
Legislators that are on committees
52:22.923 --> 52:26.218
are twiddling their
thumbs and falling asleep.
52:26.218 --> 52:27.345
- Great, thanks.
52:27.345 --> 52:28.262
Okay, bye-bye.
52:29.180 --> 52:29.847
When I first learned of what was going on,
52:29.847 --> 52:32.391
When I first learned of what was going on,
52:32.391 --> 52:35.227
I was absolutely horrified.
52:35.227 --> 52:38.773
The fact that these women were
being treated like objects
52:38.773 --> 52:41.567
and as non-human beings.
52:41.567 --> 52:44.570
How could this be happening?
52:44.570 --> 52:48.532
We had outlawed sterilization since 1979
52:48.532 --> 52:51.285
and many of us assumed that
it had ended at that time.
52:51.285 --> 52:53.245
A blight on our state history,
52:53.245 --> 52:55.414
but nonetheless had stopped.
52:55.414 --> 52:57.083
So this bill was to make it very,
52:57.083 --> 53:00.378
very clear that doctors cannot
perform these procedures
53:00.378 --> 53:02.713
in prison, period.
53:03.089 --> 53:03.673
- [Director] Did you know that
tubal ligations were illegal?
53:03.673 --> 53:06.258
- [Director] Did you know that
tubal ligations were illegal?
53:06.258 --> 53:08.302
- I did not know that, actually.
53:08.302 --> 53:10.805
- If I had known that that was illegal,
53:10.805 --> 53:14.141
I would not have obtained
the consents for it.
53:15.309 --> 53:15.976
(telephone ringing)
53:15.976 --> 53:18.688
(telephone ringing)
53:18.688 --> 53:20.398
- I\'m typing up a survey,
53:20.398 --> 53:22.692
breaking down each different
component of the bill
53:22.692 --> 53:25.695
and asking people on the inside
if they agree or disagree.
53:25.695 --> 53:26.696
And then there\'s room for people
53:26.696 --> 53:29.615
to write more about what
it is that they feel.
53:29.615 --> 53:30.574
\"Keep up the great work,\"
53:30.574 --> 53:33.536
or, \"This is why I disagree
with a particular part\".
53:33.536 --> 53:36.288
They just have room to
explain that, if they want to.
53:36.288 --> 53:37.915
- [Electronic Voice] Call from an inmate
53:37.915 --> 53:40.876
at the Central California
Women\'s Facility.
53:40.876 --> 53:41.836
- [Mychal] Hey, how are you?
53:41.836 --> 53:43.337
- [Group] Hello, how are you doing?
53:43.337 --> 53:45.172
- [Courtney] Justice Now
is the only organization
53:45.172 --> 53:46.716
that we know of that has people
53:46.716 --> 53:49.135
who are currently imprisoned on the board.
53:49.135 --> 53:52.555
- Do you feel like folks are
feeling good about the bill
53:52.555 --> 53:55.891
or they\'re having some
significant concerns?
53:55.891 --> 53:58.436
- [Mychal] Well I think for the most part
53:58.436 --> 54:00.730
we were handing out the questionnaires
54:00.730 --> 54:03.441
and we were trying to
have town hall meetings
54:03.441 --> 54:05.901
to make sure that key organizers were able
54:05.901 --> 54:08.362
to get those questionnaires
into the building.
54:08.362 --> 54:09.613
And then we were going to meet up
54:09.613 --> 54:10.489
with those people on the yard
54:10.489 --> 54:12.324
to get those questionnaires back.
54:12.324 --> 54:13.909
- [Allison] And how has that been going?
54:13.909 --> 54:15.911
- [Mychal] We know that
some people are afraid
54:15.911 --> 54:18.456
of discussing it.
54:18.456 --> 54:20.583
One, for fear of retaliation.
54:20.583 --> 54:20.958
- Yeah.
54:20.958 --> 54:23.461
- [Mychal] And there\'s just
been a lot of pressure they feel
54:23.461 --> 54:27.214
to be quiet sometimes and
even though they\'ll talk
54:27.214 --> 54:28.466
to us privately.
54:28.466 --> 54:31.385
- We\'re going to be bringing
to the legislature actual words
54:31.385 --> 54:34.472
and experiences from people inside.
54:34.472 --> 54:37.808
And so that information
that you\'re gathering
54:37.808 --> 54:38.934
is so crucial.
54:38.934 --> 54:40.060
- [Group] Yeah, thank you.
54:40.060 --> 54:42.646
(gentle music)
54:46.108 --> 54:46.776
- [Woman] I was naive.
54:46.776 --> 54:47.526
- [Woman] I was naive.
54:47.526 --> 54:49.653
I really didn\'t know what to do.
54:49.653 --> 54:50.905
I just went along with the doctor
54:50.905 --> 54:52.114
\'cause I figured he knew best.
54:52.114 --> 54:55.951
- [Woman 2] I didn\'t know
that I won\'t have children.
54:55.951 --> 54:58.704
- [Woman 3] I\'d been told
well you\'re pre-menopausal.
54:58.704 --> 55:01.081
You\'re past breeding age like I was a cow.
55:01.081 --> 55:03.083
- [Woman 4] I would\'ve
loved to have a child.
55:03.083 --> 55:05.669
- [Woman 5] I\'ve seen it
happen in more so Hispanic,
55:05.669 --> 55:07.379
African American, you don\'t hear too much
55:07.379 --> 55:10.007
of it happening in a
Caucasian descent at all.
55:10.007 --> 55:11.550
- [Woman 6] We\'re women in prison.
55:11.550 --> 55:14.804
Who cares if they mess up
our reproductive system?
55:14.804 --> 55:15.721
We\'re prisoners.
55:15.721 --> 55:19.141
We shouldn\'t be able to reproduce anyway.
55:22.019 --> 55:22.686
- There\'s certain things
that I picked up in prison
55:22.686 --> 55:25.105
- There\'s certain things
that I picked up in prison
55:25.105 --> 55:29.235
that I believe were positive habits.
55:29.235 --> 55:32.279
This is a habit that I got out of prison,
55:32.279 --> 55:36.158
is after we use the sink we spray it down.
55:36.158 --> 55:37.993
Which is, most people don\'t do that.
55:37.993 --> 55:40.120
But you know, when you in prison,
55:40.120 --> 55:45.417
you develop this germaphobe of...
55:45.417 --> 55:49.004
You\'ve got eight girls
using the same sink.
55:50.130 --> 55:50.756
Only got one week left for school.
55:50.756 --> 55:53.592
Only got one week left for school.
55:53.843 --> 55:54.468
And it seem like it\'s
been the toughest month,
55:54.468 --> 55:57.179
And it seem like it\'s
been the toughest month,
55:57.179 --> 56:00.724
and I\'m only at a undergrad level,
56:00.724 --> 56:04.311
I can just imagine how
it\'s going to be me trying
56:04.311 --> 56:07.439
to go after my, masters.
56:08.607 --> 56:09.275
- [Defense Attorney]
When will you complete
56:09.275 --> 56:10.150
- [Defense Attorney]
When will you complete
56:10.150 --> 56:11.735
your associate\'s degree?
56:11.735 --> 56:13.404
- I think uh--
56:13.404 --> 56:15.197
- [Kelli\'s Attorney] Objection,
cause for speculation.
56:15.197 --> 56:16.991
- [Defense Attorney] Yeah, go ahead.
56:16.991 --> 56:18.409
She\'s objecting for the record.
56:18.409 --> 56:20.160
Please go ahead and answer the question.
56:20.160 --> 56:21.453
- Oh, Okay.
56:21.453 --> 56:24.290
I\'m hoping, is it, can I hope?
56:24.290 --> 56:25.499
- [Defense Attorney] You certainly can.
56:25.499 --> 56:26.584
(everyone laughing)
56:26.584 --> 56:29.795
- Um, I\'m hoping to be completed
56:29.795 --> 56:33.465
at least a semester coming
out of incarceration.
56:33.465 --> 56:34.925
I have less than a year left.
56:34.925 --> 56:37.761
- [Defense Attorney] Is there
a particular area of emphasis?
56:37.761 --> 56:39.513
- Oh, wait, I\'m so nervous.
56:39.513 --> 56:40.764
Social Studies.
56:41.640 --> 56:42.474
- [Defense Attorney] Have
you given any thought
56:42.474 --> 56:43.183
- [Defense Attorney] Have
you given any thought
56:43.183 --> 56:46.437
as to what you want to
do with that degree?
56:48.230 --> 56:48.898
- I really would like to
work with battered women
56:48.898 --> 56:52.192
- I really would like to
work with battered women
56:52.192 --> 56:55.613
and troubled young teen girls.
56:55.696 --> 56:56.363
(upbeat music)
56:56.363 --> 56:59.199
(upbeat music)
56:59.199 --> 57:01.493
- Welcome back to The Dialogue.
57:01.493 --> 57:04.830
We are talking about the
effects of trauma, abuse,
57:04.830 --> 57:07.124
and domestic violence
on the black community.
57:07.124 --> 57:09.251
We\'re starting with Miss Kelli Dillon.
57:09.251 --> 57:11.629
She is a survivor of domestic violence
57:11.629 --> 57:14.381
and an advocate for
prevention and intervention.
57:14.381 --> 57:18.469
- Most of the people see victims
as very fragile, docile--
57:18.469 --> 57:19.511
- [Radio Guest] Helpless.
57:19.511 --> 57:21.388
- Helpless, um white.
57:21.597 --> 57:22.222
We are seen as aggressive.
57:22.222 --> 57:24.516
We are seen as aggressive.
57:24.516 --> 57:27.978
- When a police officer
approaches a female,
57:27.978 --> 57:29.939
African-American or Latina,
57:29.939 --> 57:33.525
they automatically ask them,
\"Are you gang affiliated?\"
57:33.525 --> 57:36.654
92% of all the women that are in prison,
57:36.654 --> 57:39.949
are in prison because
of domestic violence.
57:39.949 --> 57:41.784
- I had already been sexually assaulted,
57:41.784 --> 57:44.370
I had already been held hostage
in the house for three days.
57:44.370 --> 57:45.829
When I call the police they said,
57:45.829 --> 57:46.997
\"You don\'t look like a victim.\"
57:46.997 --> 57:49.416
So I had lost hope in the people
57:49.416 --> 57:51.168
that were supposed to be
there to protect and serve me.
57:51.168 --> 57:51.877
- [Radio Host] Right.
57:51.877 --> 57:53.253
- And at that point I had had it.
57:53.253 --> 57:56.131
Either I was gonna get out
by foot or in a body bag.
57:56.131 --> 57:57.508
I just wanted out.
58:03.013 --> 58:03.681
- We\'ve gotten over 400
responses on this survey
58:03.681 --> 58:07.434
- We\'ve gotten over 400
responses on this survey
58:07.434 --> 58:09.520
so far and there are
more coming in every day.
58:09.520 --> 58:11.397
And that\'s pretty
significant when you consider
58:11.397 --> 58:15.442
that there are approximately
3000 people inside CCWF.
58:15.442 --> 58:18.445
(gentle music)
58:18.445 --> 58:21.991
\"I did not know that
I had another choice.\"
58:22.324 --> 58:22.992
\"I was not given follow up care.\"
58:22.992 --> 58:25.703
\"I was not given follow up care.\"
58:26.036 --> 58:26.704
It\'s you know just a line of
agree, agree, agree, agree.
58:26.704 --> 58:31.625
It\'s you know just a line of
agree, agree, agree, agree.
58:31.625 --> 58:35.170
People came out of the
woodwork through that survey.
58:35.170 --> 58:38.716
It goes deeper than even we
who\'ve been working on this
58:38.716 --> 58:40.134
for a decade know.
58:41.760 --> 58:42.428
- [Chair] If you could go ahead
and present SB1135 please.
58:42.428 --> 58:46.598
- [Chair] If you could go ahead
and present SB1135 please.
58:47.808 --> 58:48.475
- My name is Kelly Densmore
58:48.475 --> 58:49.643
- My name is Kelly Densmore
58:49.643 --> 58:53.022
and I am reading a statement
from somebody inside.
58:53.022 --> 58:55.733
At Valley State Prison for
Women my gynecologist tried
58:55.733 --> 58:57.901
to get me to have a hysterectomy.
58:57.901 --> 59:00.946
- [Woman] You take a big risk
by speaking out on abuses
59:00.946 --> 59:03.073
that happen to you behind bars.
59:03.073 --> 59:04.616
- In prison you worry
about filing a complaint
59:04.616 --> 59:05.909
against a doctor because the threat
59:05.909 --> 59:07.953
of retaliation is always there.
59:07.953 --> 59:12.624
- [Woman 1] But I can\'t sit
as a woman and not speak out.
59:12.624 --> 59:14.752
- The United Nations
convention on human rights
59:14.752 --> 59:16.462
talks about the right to family.
59:16.462 --> 59:18.589
- [Woman 2] I understand
that we\'re where we\'re at,
59:18.589 --> 59:19.965
but I\'m still a human being.
59:19.965 --> 59:21.216
- We are not animals.
- They don\'t care about us.
59:21.216 --> 59:22.176
- There\'s no accountability here.
59:22.176 --> 59:23.177
- Morally wrong.
- This is not okay.
59:23.177 --> 59:23.969
- [Woman 2] We need help from the outside.
59:23.969 --> 59:25.763
- A bill needs to be signed.
- On human rights.
59:25.763 --> 59:27.931
- Please pass this bill as a
step in the right direction
59:27.931 --> 59:29.892
towards universal human rights,
59:29.892 --> 59:33.604
not just human rights for
people outside of prison.
59:34.146 --> 59:34.772
- I was the attorney who actually
59:34.772 --> 59:36.482
- I was the attorney who actually
59:36.482 --> 59:38.484
reviewed Kelli Dillon\'s medical records
59:38.484 --> 59:40.944
and had the displeasure
of having to communicate
59:40.944 --> 59:42.529
to her that she had been sterilized
59:42.529 --> 59:44.531
without her knowledge or consent.
59:44.531 --> 59:48.494
She was one of 10 women in
the California prison system
59:48.494 --> 59:50.996
that I\'ve had that same conversation with,
59:50.996 --> 59:52.623
all of whom were women of color,
59:52.623 --> 59:54.708
who were darker skinned women of color
59:54.708 --> 59:57.086
and or transgender people.
59:57.086 --> 59:58.670
I am incredibly heartfelt
59:58.670 --> 01:00:00.506
that this is now being taken seriously
01:00:00.506 --> 01:00:02.091
and I strongly support this bill.
01:00:02.091 --> 01:00:02.966
Thank you.
01:00:02.966 --> 01:00:05.844
- Are there speakers in
opposition to the bill?
01:00:05.844 --> 01:00:07.846
- We represent 55 hundred obstetricians
01:00:07.846 --> 01:00:10.557
and gynecologists here in California.
01:00:10.557 --> 01:00:11.683
We oppose the bill
01:00:11.683 --> 01:00:14.311
because by completely
banning sterilization,
01:00:14.311 --> 01:00:17.314
we\'re taking away a woman\'s
right to consent to a procedure.
01:00:17.314 --> 01:00:19.817
I\'ve had patients with
complex heart conditions.
01:00:19.817 --> 01:00:22.277
If they were undergoing
a cesarean section,
01:00:22.277 --> 01:00:24.655
I would recommend for
a tubal sterilization
01:00:24.655 --> 01:00:29.159
given the risk of any subsequent
pregnancy to their health.
01:00:29.159 --> 01:00:30.702
For every sterilization procedure
01:00:30.702 --> 01:00:33.163
in which I have personally
participated in,
01:00:33.163 --> 01:00:36.542
the patient is asked not once,
not twice but dozens of times
01:00:36.542 --> 01:00:39.253
by multiple providers
whether or not she would like
01:00:39.253 --> 01:00:42.047
to proceed with the sterilization.
01:00:42.047 --> 01:00:43.173
- [Cynthia] We were shocked
01:00:43.173 --> 01:00:45.259
that our opposition came from the
01:00:45.259 --> 01:00:48.595
American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
01:00:48.595 --> 01:00:49.888
Very few of their members,
01:00:49.888 --> 01:00:52.599
let alone their leadership,
work in prisons.
01:00:52.599 --> 01:00:54.852
- The priority of ACOG is the health
01:00:54.852 --> 01:00:56.854
and well being of our patients.
01:00:56.854 --> 01:00:58.856
And we are hopeful that we
can find a process through
01:00:58.856 --> 01:01:02.693
which these women will have
access to sterilization.
01:01:02.693 --> 01:01:03.735
- Their testimony
01:01:03.735 --> 01:01:06.738
created a tremendous
obstacle for this bill.
01:01:06.738 --> 01:01:09.783
They want people to make
reproductive choices
01:01:09.783 --> 01:01:12.077
but we don\'t know what goes on in prison.
01:01:12.077 --> 01:01:14.705
The prison is a black hole.
01:01:14.705 --> 01:01:16.623
- Inside a prison setting to ask somebody
01:01:16.623 --> 01:01:20.002
to make a decision like that
is not a really good idea.
01:01:20.002 --> 01:01:22.296
People have total control over you.
01:01:22.296 --> 01:01:25.090
If you don\'t follow the
rules or anybody simply says
01:01:25.090 --> 01:01:26.717
that you didn\'t follow the rule,
01:01:26.717 --> 01:01:31.013
you can have time added to the
time you\'re already serving.
01:01:31.013 --> 01:01:32.931
- We needed to make our case
01:01:32.931 --> 01:01:34.766
that indeed these procedures
01:01:34.766 --> 01:01:37.102
were being done without consent.
01:01:38.187 --> 01:01:38.812
- [Cynthia] You know we\'ve
been having a really hard time
01:01:38.812 --> 01:01:41.064
- [Cynthia] You know we\'ve
been having a really hard time
01:01:41.064 --> 01:01:45.360
identifying who the people
were who were sterilized
01:01:45.360 --> 01:01:46.778
while they were giving birth.
01:01:46.778 --> 01:01:48.238
Right?
- Oh!
01:01:48.238 --> 01:01:49.656
- [Cynthia] As opposed to folks like you
01:01:49.656 --> 01:01:51.909
who were sterilized
during other operations.
01:01:51.909 --> 01:01:52.492
- Okay.
01:01:52.492 --> 01:01:53.493
- [Cynthia] And that\'s one of the reasons
01:01:53.493 --> 01:01:56.371
why it would be so key to feature you.
01:01:56.371 --> 01:01:57.206
- Yeah.
01:01:57.206 --> 01:01:58.498
- [Cynthia] I think it\'s
really our best hope
01:01:58.498 --> 01:02:00.626
of stopping the sterilizations.
01:02:00.626 --> 01:02:03.503
And we could practice what
your testimony is gonna be.
01:02:03.503 --> 01:02:05.214
- Do I have to go in front of like a jury
01:02:05.214 --> 01:02:06.089
or something like that?
01:02:06.089 --> 01:02:07.799
Like what do you mean testify?
01:02:07.799 --> 01:02:10.385
- [Cynthia] When a
legislator creates a bill,
01:02:10.385 --> 01:02:13.222
it has to travel in front
of a bunch of committees
01:02:13.222 --> 01:02:16.266
before it goes before
the whole Senate to vote.
01:02:16.266 --> 01:02:17.226
And then...
01:02:17.226 --> 01:02:20.270
- I have a obligation to back Cynthia
01:02:20.270 --> 01:02:21.813
because if it was not for her
01:02:21.813 --> 01:02:24.566
I would not have found out everything
01:02:24.566 --> 01:02:26.526
that had happened to me.
01:02:26.526 --> 01:02:29.238
But, I couldn\'t go through
like another interview,
01:02:29.238 --> 01:02:32.366
testimony, hearing, or anything
01:02:32.366 --> 01:02:34.826
because once I\'m done then I\'m,
01:02:34.826 --> 01:02:37.537
you know I leave and I go
home and everybody go home
01:02:37.537 --> 01:02:40.540
but I\'m left now with
having regurgitated all
01:02:40.540 --> 01:02:42.459
of those emotions and feelings
01:02:42.459 --> 01:02:45.462
and now they\'re here and
they\'re here and here,
01:02:45.462 --> 01:02:48.715
and then no one\'s there
to help me process it.
01:02:48.715 --> 01:02:50.259
(gentle music)
01:02:50.259 --> 01:02:53.679
Yes, I have the power to change lives
01:02:53.679 --> 01:02:55.722
with the awareness what happened to me
01:02:55.722 --> 01:02:58.850
but it\'s still my story and I still own it
01:02:58.850 --> 01:03:02.729
and I still have the say so
of who I want to tell it to
01:03:02.729 --> 01:03:04.273
and why I want to tell it.
01:03:04.273 --> 01:03:06.692
It belongs to me.
01:03:08.652 --> 01:03:09.278
(clock ticking)
01:03:09.278 --> 01:03:11.989
(clock ticking)
01:03:19.121 --> 01:03:19.746
- The bill isn\'t moving forward
01:03:19.746 --> 01:03:22.416
- The bill isn\'t moving forward
01:03:22.416 --> 01:03:25.460
and it\'s just exhausting everyone.
01:03:25.460 --> 01:03:28.463
It\'s not just me, it\'s
the whole organization
01:03:28.463 --> 01:03:31.883
and I think on an organizational
leadership perspective
01:03:31.883 --> 01:03:34.511
it\'s like how long can I
continue not just to push myself
01:03:34.511 --> 01:03:37.139
but how long can I continue
to push everyone else?
01:03:37.139 --> 01:03:40.058
(crickets croaking)
01:03:43.979 --> 01:03:44.771
What ranking are you on that game now?
01:03:44.771 --> 01:03:47.482
What ranking are you on that game now?
01:03:47.482 --> 01:03:48.900
- [Sophie] Aren\'t you like 30?
01:03:48.900 --> 01:03:49.735
- [Lilah] 29.
01:03:49.735 --> 01:03:51.361
- [Cynthia] 29 out of
how many people playing
01:03:51.361 --> 01:03:52.029
that online game?
01:03:52.029 --> 01:03:54.156
- I can check what place my is now,
01:03:54.156 --> 01:03:56.074
because it probably changed.
- Hundreds of thousands.
01:03:56.074 --> 01:03:57.075
- [Cynthia] Hundreds of thousands?
01:03:57.075 --> 01:03:58.785
- At least.
01:03:58.785 --> 01:04:01.663
- [Cynthia] My kids were
telling their friends,
01:04:01.663 --> 01:04:05.042
\"Oh yeah, that\'s my mom, the
champion for everybody else.\"
01:04:05.042 --> 01:04:06.501
\"You\'re always promoting the leadership
01:04:06.501 --> 01:04:08.795
of people inside but my
friends and I are dealing
01:04:08.795 --> 01:04:11.631
with all this crap at school
and you\'re not helping us.\"
01:04:11.631 --> 01:04:14.343
And I was like, \"Oh my
gosh, you\'re right.\"
01:04:14.343 --> 01:04:15.052
I spend all my resources and
basically all my capacities
01:04:15.052 --> 01:04:18.555
I spend all my resources and
basically all my capacities
01:04:18.555 --> 01:04:19.639
in building up other people
01:04:19.639 --> 01:04:22.351
that I was neglecting my children.
01:04:22.851 --> 01:04:23.685
(Cynthia sighing)
01:04:23.685 --> 01:04:25.812
(Cynthia sighing)
01:04:25.812 --> 01:04:28.065
If this goes nowhere and
I\'ve lost all that time
01:04:28.065 --> 01:04:30.067
with my kids, I...
01:04:31.651 --> 01:04:32.277
Yeah, that would just be a shame.
01:04:32.277 --> 01:04:35.072
Yeah, that would just be a shame.
01:04:37.366 --> 01:04:39.826
(rain pattering)
01:04:39.826 --> 01:04:40.660
(rain pattering)
01:04:51.213 --> 01:04:51.838
- [Defense Attorney] What
was your thought process
01:04:51.838 --> 01:04:54.841
- [Defense Attorney] What
was your thought process
01:04:54.841 --> 01:04:56.259
as to whether or not you wanted
01:04:56.259 --> 01:04:58.303
to have more children when you got out?
01:04:58.303 --> 01:04:59.971
- I had a hope and a possibility
01:04:59.971 --> 01:05:04.851
that I might find a man that
would love me and treat me...
01:05:04.851 --> 01:05:05.310
Who would love me.
01:05:05.310 --> 01:05:06.853
Who would love me.
01:05:06.853 --> 01:05:11.233
And that I might be able
to like have a family.
01:05:14.111 --> 01:05:14.736
Or a chance to be a mother.
01:05:14.736 --> 01:05:16.988
Or a chance to be a mother.
01:05:30.836 --> 01:05:31.461
(group softly chattering)
01:05:31.461 --> 01:05:34.256
(group softly chattering)
01:05:34.256 --> 01:05:34.965
Hi.
- Hi.
01:05:34.965 --> 01:05:36.466
- Good to see you.
- Good to see you, too.
01:05:36.466 --> 01:05:37.968
- How you been?
- I\'m good, how are you?
01:05:37.968 --> 01:05:38.593
- Hi.
01:05:38.593 --> 01:05:39.594
- [Kelli] Hi, oh I love your hair today.
01:05:39.594 --> 01:05:40.429
- [Cami] Thank you, I\'m Cami.
01:05:40.429 --> 01:05:43.056
- [Kelli] Hi Cami, nice to meet you.
01:05:43.056 --> 01:05:45.183
We ready today?
01:05:45.183 --> 01:05:46.476
All right.
01:05:47.060 --> 01:05:47.727
It\'s hard to cram in.
01:05:47.727 --> 01:05:49.271
It\'s hard to cram in.
01:05:49.271 --> 01:05:50.605
- I know, and that\'s why
I was like I was so--
01:05:50.605 --> 01:05:54.860
- [Kelli] Something so
tragic, in two, three minutes.
01:05:54.860 --> 01:05:56.445
- [Misty] Right.
01:05:56.445 --> 01:05:59.448
- Like how how how do I sum up...
01:05:59.448 --> 01:06:02.909
I mean, how do we sum
up what happened in two
01:06:02.909 --> 01:06:05.036
or three minutes, you know?
01:06:05.036 --> 01:06:06.913
- Maybe you should start it out like that.
01:06:06.913 --> 01:06:11.001
How do I sum up what they did
to me in two or three minutes?
01:06:11.001 --> 01:06:11.877
- We\'re testifying in front
01:06:11.877 --> 01:06:13.503
of the Assembly Health Committee.
01:06:13.503 --> 01:06:15.380
And if it passes that
committee then it will go
01:06:15.380 --> 01:06:16.923
to the assembly floor.
01:06:16.923 --> 01:06:18.800
And if it passes that
then it will be going
01:06:18.800 --> 01:06:21.511
to the governor\'s desk, after that.
01:06:21.511 --> 01:06:23.305
So we\'re keeping our fingers crossed
01:06:23.305 --> 01:06:25.056
that he will see how important this is
01:06:25.056 --> 01:06:26.766
and sign the bill into law.
01:06:30.061 --> 01:06:30.687
- Now it\'s more so about
making it okay to say,
01:06:30.687 --> 01:06:34.524
- Now it\'s more so about
making it okay to say,
01:06:34.524 --> 01:06:36.902
\"Kelli, that did happen.\"
01:06:36.902 --> 01:06:39.362
Acknowledging that it\'s a part of me.
01:06:39.362 --> 01:06:40.655
- And then moving forward with that.
01:06:40.655 --> 01:06:42.032
- And then moving forward with it.
01:06:42.032 --> 01:06:42.657
- Yeah.
01:06:42.657 --> 01:06:46.495
- It was one thing to
fight about what happened,
01:06:46.495 --> 01:06:49.206
but then it\'s another thing
to settle with the fact that,
01:06:49.206 --> 01:06:53.543
this is what happened, and
this is now who you are
01:06:53.543 --> 01:06:56.254
for the rest of your life, period.
01:06:56.796 --> 01:06:57.422
Every time I\'ve dated and I\'m happy,
01:06:57.422 --> 01:07:01.051
Every time I\'ve dated and I\'m happy,
01:07:01.051 --> 01:07:04.346
I\'m ecstatic about the
relationship, I\'m falling in love,
01:07:04.346 --> 01:07:07.516
and then all of a sudden
it comes crashing down
01:07:07.516 --> 01:07:11.144
when they say, \"I would love
to have a kid with you.\"
01:07:11.144 --> 01:07:12.562
- Hmm.
01:07:12.562 --> 01:07:14.272
- And when they say that,
01:07:14.272 --> 01:07:19.528
then I really feel
unworthy, I feel unwhole.
01:07:19.945 --> 01:07:20.570
You know I feel ashamed.
01:07:20.570 --> 01:07:23.949
You know I feel ashamed.
01:07:24.616 --> 01:07:25.242
And so there\'s a part of me that\'s tired
01:07:25.242 --> 01:07:26.868
And so there\'s a part of me that\'s tired
01:07:26.868 --> 01:07:28.828
of feeling that way too.
01:07:28.828 --> 01:07:31.414
(tense music)
01:07:54.145 --> 01:07:54.729
- I have with me here today Kelli Dillon.
01:07:54.729 --> 01:07:57.566
- I have with me here today Kelli Dillon.
01:07:57.566 --> 01:08:00.026
She is a domestic violence counselor,
01:08:00.026 --> 01:08:04.281
a gang interventionist,
she has dedicated her life
01:08:04.281 --> 01:08:07.117
to ending violence against
women in her community,
01:08:07.117 --> 01:08:10.870
and also experienced sterilization abuse
01:08:10.870 --> 01:08:13.623
while imprisoned here in California
01:08:13.623 --> 01:08:17.002
and is here today to share her story.
01:08:17.002 --> 01:08:19.462
- I am a survivor of non-consensual,
01:08:19.462 --> 01:08:22.299
unlawful sterilization
that was performed on me
01:08:22.299 --> 01:08:25.760
at the age of 24 in 2001
while I was an inmate in
01:08:25.760 --> 01:08:28.763
Central California Women\'s Facility.
01:08:28.763 --> 01:08:32.183
I\'m here to testify that
what this bill represents
01:08:32.183 --> 01:08:34.311
is real for the women
that are incarcerated
01:08:34.311 --> 01:08:37.063
and this thing has happened to.
01:08:37.063 --> 01:08:39.774
I wanted a second chance at life
01:08:39.774 --> 01:08:43.361
and I wanted a second
chance at being a mother.
01:08:43.570 --> 01:08:44.195
I trusted...
01:08:44.195 --> 01:08:45.780
I trusted...
01:08:46.281 --> 01:08:46.906
(Kelli sobbing)
01:08:46.906 --> 01:08:49.784
(Kelli sobbing)
01:08:49.784 --> 01:08:54.205
I trusted the surgeon to respect
01:08:54.205 --> 01:08:57.542
and to acknowledge that
I still had a future
01:08:57.542 --> 01:08:59.377
and that I wanted one.
01:08:59.878 --> 01:09:01.171
I feel like I have been
robbed of the fullness
01:09:01.171 --> 01:09:03.757
I feel like I have been
robbed of the fullness
01:09:03.757 --> 01:09:05.342
that could have been given to me
01:09:05.342 --> 01:09:07.344
had this not happened to me.
01:09:07.344 --> 01:09:10.221
Did this happen to me because
I was African-American?
01:09:10.221 --> 01:09:12.515
Did it happen to me because I was a woman?
01:09:12.515 --> 01:09:14.351
Did it happen to me
because I was a inmate?
01:09:14.351 --> 01:09:18.271
Or did it happen to me
because I was all three?
01:09:18.813 --> 01:09:19.481
As I\'m sitting here listening to myself,
01:09:19.481 --> 01:09:22.359
As I\'m sitting here listening to myself,
01:09:22.359 --> 01:09:26.237
I\'m saying to myself like,
damn, this a sad ass story.
01:09:26.237 --> 01:09:29.282
Where the fuck is my happy ending?
01:09:29.282 --> 01:09:33.078
I deserve a fresh new start.
01:09:33.078 --> 01:09:34.829
I\'m ready to fall in love.
01:09:34.829 --> 01:09:37.123
I\'m ready to be loved.
01:09:37.123 --> 01:09:39.250
I\'m ready to have a home.
01:09:39.250 --> 01:09:41.961
I\'m ready to see the world.
01:09:41.961 --> 01:09:44.714
I\'m a good person that a lot
01:09:44.714 --> 01:09:47.967
of fucked up shit has happened to.
01:09:47.967 --> 01:09:49.552
I\'m ready.
01:09:49.552 --> 01:09:53.139
I am so, so ready.
01:09:53.139 --> 01:09:54.724
I just want to finish up by saying
01:09:54.724 --> 01:09:57.268
that this bill will help
to protect other women
01:09:57.268 --> 01:10:00.563
who have the opportunity
to be rehabilitated
01:10:00.563 --> 01:10:03.400
and to actually restore
the quality of their life
01:10:03.400 --> 01:10:05.694
and the gift that life has to offer,
01:10:05.694 --> 01:10:09.155
which is motherhood and having children.
01:10:09.155 --> 01:10:12.867
As a survivor of non-consensual
unlawful sterilization,
01:10:12.867 --> 01:10:15.870
I\'m asking you to approve this bill.
01:10:16.037 --> 01:10:16.746
- Katherine Williams with the
ACLU of California in support.
01:10:16.746 --> 01:10:20.709
- Katherine Williams with the
ACLU of California in support.
01:10:20.709 --> 01:10:22.293
- Emma Hartung of Legal Services
01:10:22.293 --> 01:10:25.130
for Prisoners with
Children in strong support.
01:10:25.130 --> 01:10:26.715
- Rebecca Gonzalez, National Association
01:10:26.715 --> 01:10:29.843
of Social Workers California
chapter in support.
01:10:29.843 --> 01:10:31.761
- They all said aye.
- Yes so.
01:10:31.761 --> 01:10:32.929
- [Woman] Yay.
01:10:38.643 --> 01:10:39.310
Oh we\'re not all in, we\'re not all in.
01:10:39.310 --> 01:10:41.604
Oh we\'re not all in, we\'re not all in.
01:10:41.604 --> 01:10:42.480
- We\'re a team.
01:10:42.480 --> 01:10:45.191
This was an amazing team today.
01:10:45.191 --> 01:10:47.777
(gentle music)
01:10:51.322 --> 01:10:51.906
- [Reporter] Governor Jerry
Brown has signed a bill
01:10:51.906 --> 01:10:54.159
- [Reporter] Governor Jerry
Brown has signed a bill
01:10:54.159 --> 01:10:58.037
bringing an end to forced
prison sterilization.
01:11:01.750 --> 01:11:02.584
- The bill passed with bipartisan support.
01:11:02.584 --> 01:11:05.587
- The bill passed with bipartisan support.
01:11:05.587 --> 01:11:07.589
It\'s criminal behavior now to do this
01:11:07.589 --> 01:11:11.217
and we\'ve let the correction
system know they\'re on record.
01:11:11.217 --> 01:11:13.178
- [Cynthia] They cannot
sterilize people in prison
01:11:13.178 --> 01:11:16.473
for the purpose of birth
control ever again.
01:11:16.473 --> 01:11:18.391
- This bill will set a standard
01:11:18.391 --> 01:11:21.936
for the other prisons
throughout the United States.
01:11:21.936 --> 01:11:24.105
Because this is not just
happening here in the state
01:11:24.105 --> 01:11:26.649
of California, it\'s
actually happening all over.
01:11:26.649 --> 01:11:28.193
- I\'ve thought from the very beginning
01:11:28.193 --> 01:11:30.779
that this bill should have been called the
01:11:30.779 --> 01:11:34.949
Kelli Dillon Anti-coercive
Sterilization Bill, you know.
01:11:34.949 --> 01:11:40.121
I think but for her inspiration
and her courage early,
01:11:40.121 --> 01:11:43.208
early on, Justice Now wouldn\'t
have even been investigating
01:11:43.208 --> 01:11:44.000
this stuff.
01:11:44.000 --> 01:11:46.211
We never would have found
out about the abuses,
01:11:46.211 --> 01:11:48.129
let alone would there have been a bill.
01:11:48.129 --> 01:11:49.672
- This is just the beginning.
01:11:49.672 --> 01:11:51.925
This is just the beginning.
01:11:52.217 --> 01:11:52.842
(party goers chattering)
01:11:52.842 --> 01:11:55.011
(party goers chattering)
01:11:55.011 --> 01:11:56.262
- Shoes!
01:11:56.262 --> 01:11:58.681
Look at the fucking shoes!
01:11:58.681 --> 01:11:59.390
Everybody look at our founder\'s shoes.
01:11:59.390 --> 01:12:02.143
Everybody look at our founder\'s shoes.
01:12:02.393 --> 01:12:02.936
Oh my god.
01:12:02.936 --> 01:12:03.686
Oh my god.
01:12:03.686 --> 01:12:04.687
Aren\'t they fun?
01:12:04.687 --> 01:12:05.563
They are really fun.
01:12:05.563 --> 01:12:07.106
- When people say, \"Oh,
01:12:07.106 --> 01:12:08.691
we can\'t change the prison system.\"
01:12:08.691 --> 01:12:09.859
Yes we can.
01:12:09.859 --> 01:12:12.278
Because we are, we are change.
01:12:12.278 --> 01:12:13.738
We are proof that it can happen.
01:12:13.738 --> 01:12:14.864
(crowd cheering)
01:12:14.864 --> 01:12:18.576
Our mission of Justice Now is
to have formerly incarcerated
01:12:18.576 --> 01:12:21.412
and women that are on
the board have the chance
01:12:21.412 --> 01:12:22.956
to come into Justice Now
01:12:22.956 --> 01:12:25.875
and transition into
bigger leadership roles
01:12:25.875 --> 01:12:27.126
and run Justice Now.
01:12:27.335 --> 01:12:28.002
♪ Make up your mind, what
you\'re searching for ♪
01:12:28.002 --> 01:12:30.421
♪ Make up your mind, what
you\'re searching for ♪
01:12:30.421 --> 01:12:35.051
♪ Is it money, is it
something like freedom ♪
01:12:35.051 --> 01:12:35.468
♪ Nothing against myself ♪
01:12:35.468 --> 01:12:38.888
♪ Nothing against myself ♪
01:12:38.888 --> 01:12:42.725
♪ But I can really see myself ♪
01:12:42.725 --> 01:12:46.479
♪ Come around, come around,
come around, now I\'m holdin it ♪
01:12:46.479 --> 01:12:49.399
- I was just talking to my son right,
01:12:49.399 --> 01:12:51.568
and I was telling him
about the graduation.
01:12:51.568 --> 01:12:53.570
Because I never got the chance to--
01:12:53.570 --> 01:12:54.863
- Do this.
- Do those things.
01:12:54.863 --> 01:12:56.865
The first time I didn\'t
get the chance to graduate
01:12:56.865 --> 01:12:59.701
because of me being a teenage mom.
01:12:59.701 --> 01:13:01.327
Then I didn\'t get a chance to graduate
01:13:01.327 --> 01:13:03.037
from medical assistant school
01:13:03.037 --> 01:13:05.331
because of the domestic
violence and abuse.
01:13:05.331 --> 01:13:07.166
And me coming home from prison,
01:13:07.166 --> 01:13:09.043
like this means everything to me.
01:13:09.043 --> 01:13:11.170
(graduates cheering)
01:13:11.170 --> 01:13:13.756
(upbeat music)
01:13:23.975 --> 01:13:24.601
- [Announcer] Kelli Dillon.
01:13:24.601 --> 01:13:26.102
- [Announcer] Kelli Dillon.
01:13:26.102 --> 01:13:27.228
(family cheering)
01:13:27.228 --> 01:13:29.230
♪ Make up your mind, what
you\'re searching for ♪
01:13:29.230 --> 01:13:34.193
♪ Stake a claim, is it vain,
do ya see your name in lights ♪
01:13:34.193 --> 01:13:37.196
♪ Make up your mind, what
you\'re searching for ♪
01:13:37.196 --> 01:13:42.076
♪ Is it money, is it
something like freedom ♪
01:14:03.514 --> 01:14:04.140
- [Cynthia] The bill is the culmination
01:14:04.140 --> 01:14:06.517
- [Cynthia] The bill is the culmination
01:14:06.517 --> 01:14:08.645
of my work at Justice Now.
01:14:09.896 --> 01:14:10.521
But there\'s still so much
that needs to be done.
01:14:10.521 --> 01:14:14.525
But there\'s still so much
that needs to be done.
01:14:16.486 --> 01:14:17.111
I\'m frustrated this isn\'t a
bigger national conversation.
01:14:17.111 --> 01:14:21.866
I\'m frustrated this isn\'t a
bigger national conversation.
01:14:23.910 --> 01:14:24.535
We can\'t afford to forget.
01:14:24.535 --> 01:14:27.121
We can\'t afford to forget.
01:14:27.121 --> 01:14:29.666
(gentle music)
01:14:34.712 --> 01:14:35.380
- [Woman 1] The bill was so needed
01:14:35.380 --> 01:14:37.006
- [Woman 1] The bill was so needed
01:14:37.006 --> 01:14:39.717
because Department of
Corrections had been spitting
01:14:39.717 --> 01:14:43.972
on woman\'s sterilization
problem for years.
01:14:43.972 --> 01:14:46.265
- [Woman 2] But now that
there\'s been a small victory,
01:14:46.265 --> 01:14:48.393
they\'re blocking advocates
01:14:48.393 --> 01:14:51.020
or anyone who\'s coming in from the outside
01:14:51.020 --> 01:14:56.025
from being able to come in
freely to interview inmates.
01:14:56.025 --> 01:14:56.401
- [Woman 3] There are women today
01:14:56.401 --> 01:14:57.527
- [Woman 3] There are women today
01:14:57.527 --> 01:15:02.699
that need reproductive care
but absolutely cannot get it,
01:15:02.699 --> 01:15:04.909
because of the retaliation.
01:15:05.868 --> 01:15:06.536
- [Woman 4] The doctor told me,
01:15:06.536 --> 01:15:07.620
- [Woman 4] The doctor told me,
01:15:07.620 --> 01:15:11.874
thanks to your fellow inmates,
I\'m not doing nothing.
01:15:12.041 --> 01:15:12.583
- [WOMAN 5] When they say that CDC
01:15:12.583 --> 01:15:13.835
- [WOMAN 5] When they say that CDC
01:15:13.835 --> 01:15:17.005
is the belly of the beast, it\'s literal.
01:15:20.925 --> 01:15:21.592
- We have yet to get an apology.
01:15:21.592 --> 01:15:24.470
- We have yet to get an apology.
01:15:24.470 --> 01:15:27.015
We have yet to be acknowledged.
01:15:28.266 --> 01:15:29.058
We have to crack this thing wide open.
01:15:29.058 --> 01:15:32.311
We have to crack this thing wide open.
01:15:32.311 --> 01:15:35.732
CDC has to be made accountable.
01:15:37.817 --> 01:15:38.192
- [Director] Part of this bill was
01:15:38.192 --> 01:15:39.318
- [Director] Part of this bill was
01:15:39.318 --> 01:15:43.156
to really highlight the
illegality of these procedures.
01:15:43.156 --> 01:15:47.326
- So yes and to me that\'s a good thing.
01:15:47.326 --> 01:15:47.952
As to whether I think
it\'s, should be illegal...
01:15:47.952 --> 01:15:52.582
As to whether I think
it\'s, should be illegal...
01:15:55.168 --> 01:15:56.044
Not necessarily.
01:15:56.044 --> 01:15:57.879
Not necessarily.
01:15:58.129 --> 01:15:58.755
Even if it\'s not medically necessary,
01:15:58.755 --> 01:16:02.341
Even if it\'s not medically necessary,
01:16:03.051 --> 01:16:03.676
it could or would in the long
run save the state funds,
01:16:03.676 --> 01:16:09.766
it could or would in the long
run save the state funds,
01:16:09.766 --> 01:16:11.976
like doctor was saying.
01:16:12.852 --> 01:16:13.811
So, you know, was he
wrong in that estimation?
01:16:13.811 --> 01:16:18.775
So, you know, was he
wrong in that estimation?
01:16:18.775 --> 01:16:19.817
Probably not.
01:16:21.652 --> 01:16:21.694
Because as I said, the
ideal time to do a tubal
01:16:21.694 --> 01:16:28.076
Because as I said, the
ideal time to do a tubal
01:16:28.576 --> 01:16:29.368
is when they\'re already in there.
01:16:29.368 --> 01:16:31.954
is when they\'re already in there.
01:16:33.790 --> 01:16:34.540
It just takes a couple more
minutes and a couple more snips.
01:16:34.540 --> 01:16:38.669
It just takes a couple more
minutes and a couple more snips.
01:16:39.295 --> 01:16:41.130
[mysterious music]
01:16:41.130 --> 01:16:42.840
[mysterious music]
01:17:24.298 --> 01:17:24.966
- Good morning Mr. Chair and Members,
01:17:24.966 --> 01:17:26.425
- Good morning Mr. Chair and Members,
01:17:26.425 --> 01:17:30.596
I am here to proudly
present Assembly Bill 1764,
01:17:30.596 --> 01:17:32.723
which will provide redress to people
01:17:32.723 --> 01:17:35.017
who were involuntarily sterilized
01:17:35.017 --> 01:17:37.854
under California\'s previous eugenics laws,
01:17:37.854 --> 01:17:40.189
and female inmates of
California state prisons
01:17:40.189 --> 01:17:43.276
who were sterilized without
proper authorization.
01:17:43.276 --> 01:17:45.319
This bill provides
material acknowledgement
01:17:45.319 --> 01:17:47.697
of this injustice by creating the
01:17:47.697 --> 01:17:50.158
Forced Sterilization Compensation Program.
01:17:50.158 --> 01:17:52.743
(uplifting music)
01:18:01.335 --> 01:18:01.878
- Like I always talked about
where\'s the happy ending?
01:18:01.878 --> 01:18:04.463
- Like I always talked about
where\'s the happy ending?
01:18:04.463 --> 01:18:07.175
Like no, I\'m not, this
is, I\'m unsatisfied.
01:18:07.175 --> 01:18:08.342
There gotta be a happy ending.
01:18:08.342 --> 01:18:11.345
I watch too much, I
live in LA in Hollywood,
01:18:11.345 --> 01:18:13.055
there has to be a fucking happy ending.
01:18:13.055 --> 01:18:15.516
Like, it has to be a
happy ending somewhere.
01:18:15.516 --> 01:18:15.600
♪ What\'s going on ♪
01:18:15.641 --> 01:18:18.019
♪ What\'s going on ♪
01:18:18.019 --> 01:18:19.896
♪ When I\'ve gotta fight for a right ♪
01:18:19.896 --> 01:18:21.189
♪ That is rightfully mine ♪
01:18:21.189 --> 01:18:24.233
♪ What\'s going on ♪
01:18:24.233 --> 01:18:25.651
♪ When the world can decide ♪
01:18:25.651 --> 01:18:27.069
♪ If a caged bird flies ♪
01:18:27.069 --> 01:18:29.739
♪ Or ever gets a chance to grow ♪
01:18:29.739 --> 01:18:32.783
♪ Too many people are invisible ♪
01:18:32.783 --> 01:18:35.661
♪ It\'s a problem how can
we ignore what\'s going on ♪
01:18:35.661 --> 01:18:37.205
♪ I got questions, I need answers ♪
01:18:37.205 --> 01:18:38.539
♪ It\'s been too long ♪
01:18:38.539 --> 01:18:42.752
♪ Why-I, I cry I-I, oh, why ♪
01:18:42.752 --> 01:18:45.755
♪ Do these tears keep running dry ♪
01:18:45.755 --> 01:18:49.926
♪ But I just keep fighting ♪
01:18:49.926 --> 01:18:52.511
♪ \'Cause it ain\'t over ♪
01:18:52.511 --> 01:18:55.389
♪ Till it\'s over ♪
01:18:55.389 --> 01:18:58.392
♪ It ain\'t over till it\'s done ♪
01:18:58.392 --> 01:19:01.354
♪ Till these shackles are broken ♪
01:19:01.354 --> 01:19:04.649
♪ It ain\'t over ♪
01:19:04.649 --> 01:19:06.108
♪ \'Cause some wounds never heal ♪
01:19:06.108 --> 01:19:10.279
♪ Do you see what you
done, see what you done ♪
01:19:10.279 --> 01:19:11.864
♪ \'Cause some wounds never heal ♪
01:19:11.864 --> 01:19:15.993
♪ Do you see what you
done, see what you done ♪
01:19:15.993 --> 01:19:17.578
♪ \'Cause some wounds never heal ♪
01:19:17.578 --> 01:19:19.247
♪ Do you see what you done ♪
01:19:19.247 --> 01:19:21.415
♪ What\'s going on ♪
01:19:21.415 --> 01:19:23.709
♪ We got strength, but no power ♪
01:19:23.709 --> 01:19:26.879
♪ All we\'ve ever wanted was what\'s ours ♪
01:19:26.879 --> 01:19:29.131
♪ Then one day we wake up ♪
01:19:29.131 --> 01:19:32.426
♪ And everything has changed ♪
01:19:32.426 --> 01:19:34.720
♪ Who can I blame ♪
01:19:34.720 --> 01:19:37.890
♪ Who\'s gonna carry the shame ♪
01:19:37.890 --> 01:19:42.144
♪ After all this pain,
I\'ll never be the same ♪
01:19:42.144 --> 01:19:46.565
♪ Why-I, I cry I-I, oh, why ♪
01:19:46.565 --> 01:19:49.443
♪ But while I still got time, time ♪
01:19:49.443 --> 01:19:53.489
♪ I\'ll just keep on fighting ♪
01:19:53.489 --> 01:19:56.284
♪ \'Cause it ain\'t over, no it ain\'t over ♪
01:19:56.284 --> 01:19:59.161
♪ Till it\'s over, till it\'s over ♪
01:19:59.161 --> 01:20:02.039
♪ It it\'s over, till it\'s done ♪
01:20:02.039 --> 01:20:04.750
♪ Till these shackles are broken ♪
01:20:04.750 --> 01:20:08.296
♪ It ain\'t over ♪
01:20:08.296 --> 01:20:09.755
♪ \'Cause some wounds never heal ♪
01:20:09.755 --> 01:20:13.843
♪ Do you see what you
done, see what you done ♪
01:20:13.843 --> 01:20:15.428
♪ \'Cause some wounds never heal ♪
01:20:15.428 --> 01:20:19.724
♪ Can you see what you
done, see what you done ♪
01:20:19.724 --> 01:20:21.225
♪ \'Cause some wounds never heal ♪
01:20:21.225 --> 01:20:22.852
♪ Do you see what you done ♪
01:20:22.852 --> 01:20:25.855
♪ Now we won\'t lay down, we\'re survivors ♪
01:20:25.855 --> 01:20:28.733
♪ All my scars are my reminders ♪
01:20:28.733 --> 01:20:31.610
♪ We won\'t lay down, we\'re survivors ♪
01:20:31.610 --> 01:20:34.196
♪ All my scars are my reminders ♪
01:20:34.196 --> 01:20:37.491
♪ \'Cause it ain\'t over ♪
01:21:12.610 --> 01:21:15.529
(logo music)