February 20, 1986 South Carolina’s Sexual Sterilization law was repealed by the legislature, effective February 20, 1986. At the time of the law’s repeal no sterilizations had been performed in the state since 1963.

In 2003, Governor Jim Hodges issued a public apology for the forced sterilizations that took place in the state of South Carolina, apologizing to all of the people that were robbed of their rights to have children.

-Caroline Lyster

• Kaelber, L. (2011). Eugenics: Compulsory Sterilization in 50 American States. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/~lkaelber/eugenics/SC/SC.html.

• State of Alabama. (1986). South Carolina Code of Laws, Unannotated. South Carolina Legislature. Retrieved from http://www.scstatehouse.gov/archives/CodeofLaws2000/t44c047.php.