2020-09-22 13:30:55

"Belly of the Beast": Survivors of Forced Sterilizations in California's Prisons Fight for Justice

Revelations about forced hysterectomies at an ICE facility in Georgia have forced a reckoning with the long history of sterilizations in the U.S. — particularly of Black, Brown, poor and disabled people — and the way this procedure has continued in jails and prisons to the present day.

Democracy Now! speaks with Kelli Dillon, who was sterilized at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla in 2001 and who is featured in the documentary "Belly of the Beast," which tells the stories of women subjected to unwanted sterilization behind bars in California.

She says incarcerated women are "punished" for simply requesting medical records. "If we begin to press … we are reprimanded and sometimes put in lockdown," says Dillon, who in 2006 became the first survivor of sterilization abuse to sue the California Department of Corrections for damages.

Between 2006 and 2010, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sterilized nearly 150 women without required state approval. "Forced sterilization is genocide," notes filmmaker Erika Cohn, who directed Belly of the Beast and spent nearly a decade making it.

The film opens in theaters on October 16 and will premiere on PBS's "Independent Lens" on November 23.

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. 

Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Missed an episode?  Check out DN on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change. 

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling, and online at freespeech.org.

Amy Goodman Belly of the Beast Democracy Now! Erika Cohn Free Speech TV Georgia ICE Kelli Dillon Sterilizations United States

Human Rights and Equality

The Randi Rhodes' Show

Rudy Giuliani is Being Sued

Rudy Giuliani is Being Sued

Democracy Now!

Report from U.S.-Mexico Border as Title 42 Ends: Human Rights Violations, Funerals & Makeshift Camps

Report from U.S.-Mexico Border as Title 42 Ends: Human Rights Violations, Funerals & Makeshift Camps

Democracy Now!

Amid Growing Anti-Immigrant Hate, 8 Killed as Driver Plows Into Group Near Migrant Shelter in Texas

Amid Growing Anti-Immigrant Hate, 8 Killed as Driver Plows Into Group Near Migrant Shelter in Texas

Democracy Now!

Biden Admin Urged to Accept Afghan Families Who Have Languished in Greece for Over 18 Months

Biden Admin Urged to Accept Afghan Families Who Have Languished in Greece for Over 18 Months

Related

The David Pakman Show

Trump lawyers warn him he's about to get arrested AGAIN

Trump lawyers warn him he's about to get arrested AGAIN

The Thom Hartmann Program

If Nazis Don’t Approve Your Book Is Banned?

If Nazis Don’t Approve Your Book Is Banned?

Democracy Now!

Memorial Day Massacre: Chicago Cops Killed 10 During 1937 Steel Strike, Then the Media Covered It Up

Memorial Day Massacre: Chicago Cops Killed 10 During 1937 Steel Strike, Then the Media Covered It Up

Democracy Now!

Ukraine’s Left Fights for a Future Free from Domination by Russian Tanks & Western Banks

Ukraine’s Left Fights for a Future Free from Domination by Russian Tanks & Western Banks

Proud Partners