(logo music) (mysterious music) <v Kelli>I remember just looking at all</v> of the cows and the plains. And at 19, thinking to myself like wow there's so much on this earth that I haven't seen. And now I'm getting ready to go spend 15 years of my life in prison. <v ->[Defense Attorney] Will you state your full name</v> for the record, please? <v ->Kelli LeShawn Dillon Thomas.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] Dillon was your maiden name?</v> <v ->Yes.</v> I was sentenced for shooting and killing my husband. The most painful thing was when the police came to get me and having to separate between me and my children even though I had protected us from a monster. <v ->[Defense Attorney] The burn marks</v> were inflicted by your husband? <v ->Yes.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] With?</v> <v ->An iron.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] An iron?</v> <v ->Yes.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] And this occurred during a fight?</v> <v ->Yes.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] And he put the iron,</v> what, to your neck? <v ->Yes.</v> I'm trying to remember what my children felt like, their skin felt like, what they breath smelt like. (people in prison yelling) I cannot believe that my life has come to this. (gate banging) I always been a fighter. But it wasn't truly birthed, until I was in prison. <v ->It's always hard to figure out what to wear</v> to prison because you can't wear red, green, brown, khaki, orange, or denim of any color. When people in prison have a visit, they have to go through a strip search, and they have to expose themselves in front of at least one guard if not many more. Usually visitors coming in only wear black or white and I decided at some point to bring a level of levity and color into the visits. Folks inside loved it. They would see me coming and start giggling and laughing about what wild shoes I had on. There was this one correctional officer who was like, "You can't wear those shoes." And I was like, "Can you point to the rule "that says that these violate any kind of dress code?" All the correctional officers and high-level folks from the Department of Corrections were always treating me like a small child. And so at some point I decided to just own it and take on the brand of kind of being like a tacky whipper-snapper. (gentle music) Waking up and leaving the house before six in the morning and driving to prison and spending the day bearing witness to pretty significant trauma, it's really very draining. Whenever you're fighting human rights abuses in prison, you never know what to expect. <v ->The first thing I remember seeing,</v> the girls yelling in the cells. And it just look like top and bottom tier of caged animals. Everything is exposed. You have male officers who can actually look in the cell and see women sitting on the toilet, changing their pads. (mysterious music) A few years later, I began to experience like abdominal pain. I was told I had a abnormal pap smear and needed a cone biopsy to look for cancer. The doctor said that it seems like I had cysts that was growing on my ovaries. He asked me how old I was. I was about 24. He said, "Do you want any children?" I said, "Yes, I have two sons already "and because I'm not going to have a chance to raise them, "I'm looking forward to meeting someone "who actually loves me and raising more children." So he said, "If I find cancer, "do you want us to do a hysterectomy?" And I said, "Yes, if you find cancer." So me and four other girls were called out to get chained up in order to go out for surgery. Everything's assembly line. We're all handed a piece of paper by two nurses. They're standing there like, "You guys need "to hurry up and sign." We're trying to read as much as we can to understand but for the most part we're looking and it said this is for you to consent to the surgery that you're having today. (heart monitor beeping) When I came out I felt like something was wrong. He told me, "Everything is fine, we took out some cysts." So then I asked him, "Will I still be able to have children?" And he was like, "Yeah, I don't see why not." (telephone ringing) <v Nora>Can you tell me where you're calling from?</v> Do you mind if I get your name just in case we're disconnected? Is she happy to tell you more about... <v ->Are you starting to actually get more hope</v> though around your own case? We were getting hundreds of letters about horrible medical abuses every month. But then, one day, we got this letter from Kelli Dillon. And it was really troubling. (mysterious music) <v Kelli>It's almost nine months past</v> and I haven't had my period. I got bad panic attacks, heart palpitations, night sweats and I'm damn near a hundred pounds smaller. (water splashing) <v ->She was suffering all these symptoms</v> that were classic symptoms of surgical menopause. But she was a young woman in her 20s. <v ->Cynthia advised me, you need to get your medical records.</v> After six months of fighting to just get my medical records, Cynthia sat with me in the visiting room and she read them to me. This says that you have abnormal cervical cells. I asked her did it ever say I have cancer? She said, "No, you never had cancer." I had been intentionally sterilized and I had been lied to. <v ->My name is Cynthia Chandler.</v> I'm the co-director of the Justice Network on Women, which is a new organization based in Oakland that provides legal services and community organizing around the needs of women prisoners. When I got out of law school in 1995, I didn't know anything about anything happening in prison until really meeting people who were really living there who had to make prison their life. <v ->I'm HIV and Hep-C co-infected,</v> I'm self disclosed. I had heard some bits and pieces about Cynthia. She was a young white woman, Harvard grad and Cindy came up to me and I can't even imagine what she's got to tell me. <v ->We're failing to provide the most basic care</v> to the sickest and most vulnerable of the women who are in this prison system. <v ->She was an attorney for compassionate release.</v> And I was like, compassionate release? Like, who does that? Like who fights for somebody that's going to die and you fight to get them home? <v ->Many of us watched Rosemary Willoughby die</v> because the Department of Corrections refused to acknowledge that she was dying. Her worst nightmare came true. She died absolutely alone, surrounded by not a single person who she loved. <v ->She started making kind of sense to me,</v> how us women need to learn how to defend ourselves legally and how we need to find a remedy for human rights violations inside. It shouldn't be up to an inmate to have to sit and figure out what my T-cell count is and what it means to me. <v ->I watched two women die on my yard,</v> that I was very close to and that I knew. If I could see that the whites of their eyes were as yellow as a caution sign, why couldn't somebody else? <v ->Healthcare is so bleak,</v> it's hard to imagine it's even by accident. <v Ted>Last year there were about a 150 formal complaints</v> filed by inmates every month from allegations of incompetence to actual charges of sexual harassment. <v ->We have a healthcare staff who,</v> you go in for a cut on the finger, likes to give you a pap smear. <v ->For a chest cold, oh let me, you know, do a pap smear.</v> <v ->I've heard inmates tell me that they would deliberately,</v> like to be examined. The only male contact they get. <v ->You're telling me they're coming in here,</v> in effect asking for them? <v ->Well--</v> <v ->As some sort of titillation?</v> <v ->It could very well be, it could very well be.</v> (mysterious music) <v ->California's Women's prisons</v> have always had a horrific track record of medical care. <v ->This Friday Judge Thelton Henderson delivered a ruling</v> that charged deplorable conditions in state prisoner medical care. <v ->They had doctors in what looked like broom closets</v> seeing prisoners. And I went and saw them standing in line, the ceiling was dripping water and they were standing in a half inch of water waiting to be seen. <v Cynthia>The federal courts took over</v> the whole healthcare system for California's prisons and placed it under federal receivership to bring the healthcare up to constitutional standards. <v ->You know people would say,</v> well how dare you know a receiver or somebody come into our house and tell us how to do things. CDC is punishment. And there was a lot of pushback on adding rehabilitation to just CDC and making it CDCR. They really saw the receivership as a threat. I worked at the Central California Women's Facility for about 17 years. (wind chimes jingling) People that do things for inmates or that try to ensure that they get their care, they're called inmate lovers. You're an inmate lover. I have some fear what kind of repercussions will I get for coming on and talking about this. I took an oath when I graduated from nursing school and it's that you do no harm. But inmates become numbers. You don't get names and that's what makes it easy to abuse them. (birds singing) (mysterious music) <v ->I was sitting down in the middle of the yard.</v> I see this young African American girl walk out of the medical building, and she's holding her abdomen area. And I say, "I know it's not my business "but what kind of surgery did you have?" She said, "I had to get a partial hysterectomy." I said, "For what?" She said, "Oh, they said I have abnormal cells." And then that's when boop, the light bulb went off. Why is it all of a sudden we got all of these reproductive problems? That's when I was like aw nah, this don't sound right. I made a phone call back to Cynthia. I think that they've been doing this to other women. I started carrying a briefcase with forms so I could help people contact Justice Now. (door slamming) <v ->Thanks to Kelli's organizing we were able</v> to uncover a dozen instances of people being sterilized during other kinds of surgeries. (Cynthia sighing) The room is kind of hot. <v Woman>Yeah, it is.</v> <v Cynthia>Thank you for meeting with me today.</v> <v Woman>Uh huh.</v> <v Cynthia>So, if you could summarize what happened</v> in terms of the surgery you had. <v Woman>I put in a request to see the doctor</v> because I've had bad cramps. He said you have fibroid tumors and severe endometriosis so that causes a higher risk of cervical cancer. He talked me into a hysterectomy. Four years later, I went to an OBGYN doctor. I asked him did I have tumors and endometriosis? And he said, "I don't see any of that on here." You gave me a hysterectomy for severe cramps? <v Woman 1>He did a pelvic exam.</v> <v Woman 2>He gave me some kind of test</v> and said I had some, a fibroid. <v WOMAN 3>I was told that I had cancer cells.</v> <v WOMAN 4>They told me that I had</v> to have my ovaries removed. I had no choice. <v WOMAN 5>We actually used to call them the surgeries</v> of the month because they were happening so frequently, so many people were getting hysterectomies. That was a cure-all. That's what it was. <v ->It's usually impossible to find representation</v> for people who are harmed in prison because the cases are both too difficult and too costly and no attorneys will take them. In Kelli's case, the harm was so egregious that we were able to secure pro-bono, one of the best law firms in the state to represent her. <v ->Although the fight was in me,</v> I was very much intimidated by whom I was going up against. <v ->[Defense Attorney] I saw that you had a number</v> of health issues after surgery. <v ->I felt like um I was losing a lot of weight at the time.</v> I was in a lot of pain. I thought that I was dying. <v ->[Defense Attorney] What did you weigh</v> when you went into prison? <v ->Like 235 pounds.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] What was the least that you weighed?</v> <v ->118 pounds.</v> The doctor thought maybe I was a hypochondriac. And he said that I should be happy that I had lost weight so many women would love to have lost the amount of weight that I've lost. One doctor told me, well how do you expect for someone to treat you if you are suing them? <v ->[Defense Attorney] I'm gonna bounce around a bit.</v> Other than the offense that you're currently in on, did you have any other convictions? <v ->No.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] The circumstances that led</v> to your current incarceration. Tell me about that? Do you need to take a break? <v ->They would have her recount</v> everything about her commitment offense because they were looking for evidence of her being someone who lies, of her being someone who is lacking of character. <v ->[Defense Attorney] How many times</v> did you receive medical treatment for injuries you suffered as a result of domestic violence? <v ->Numerous, I can't...</v> I don't have a specific number. <v ->[Defense Attorney] Can you give me an estimate?</v> Five, 10, 20? <v ->You know my heart had already been broken,</v> my spirit had already been crushed, I didn't, I didn't have nothing to lose. (gentle music) My attorneys postponed the trial until I actually paroled. I felt like I was going to get a real chance at... I don't know I just thought that maybe this was the beginning of the tables turning. <v Cynthia>The smoking gun in her case was</v> that they cut off the blood supply to her ovaries and removed them, dissected them and they were never supposed to do any of that. <v ->[Defense Attorney] And you knew that your ovaries</v> produced the eggs and an egg was required to have a baby? <v ->Yes.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] In your complaint it's alleged</v> that if you'd have known there was a possibility that your ovaries might of been removed during the surgery, you would not have consented to it. <v ->Yes.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] Was the plan that if he found cancer</v> at surgery that he was going to at that same surgery, do a partial hysterectomy? <v ->That was my understanding.</v> <v ->She consented to removing everything</v> if and only if she had cancer and it had spread and was invasive. She didn't have cancer. <v ->[Defense Attorney] At any point while you were</v> at Madera Community Hospital, did anybody tell you that all of your ovaries had been removed? <v ->No.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] When was the first time</v> a doctor told you that you had been missing your ovaries? <v ->No one ever told me that.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] No medical doctors ever said</v> that to you? <v ->No.</v> (mysterious music) The jury was predominantly white from Fresno County. I'm looking at this jury hoping that they would say this is wrong. No matter what or why she was there, she didn't deserve this to happen to her. <v ->After a seven day trial,</v> the jury believed the doctor's versions of events. That Kelli knew something was wrong at the end of the surgery, that she then missed the time she had to bring a claim under the statute of limitations. And they used that to just dismiss all of her claims. <v ->I watched my lead attorney as well as her team</v> walk out the room and tears begin to roll down they eyes. And I just looked at them and I said, "Thank you, "for fighting for me. "Even if it was just for the fight." <v ->Question 43.</v> If you found for plaintiff on any of her claims and found that those claims were not barred by any statute of limitations, what total damages do you award Miss. Thomas? Zero dollars. Zero dollars. Zero dollars. <v ->I was looking at these documents</v> that was confirming that as a black woman, my life wasn't shit. It didn't mean anything. It had no purpose. (sorrowful music) I really couldn't enjoy my coming home. My mind was in the trial for the first 3 months of my freedom. This photo album I kept with me in prison. This my favorite picture, Anthony coming to visit me in prison. Out of the 15 years I was there, we had about five visits. When I left my sons was two and four, so I'm watching my children grow up on the other side of a glass. It was hard. (melancholic music) When I came home they were 16 and 18 years old. I begin to hear from my children, "You didn't have to go to prison, you chose to." I said, "Did they ever tell you that how much I loved you? "Did they ever tell you of what I did in order "to make sure that a hand was never laid on you?" I posted this up on my Facebook and it said, "This is what domestic violence looks like." Looking at this picture you could never see that I was a victim of domestic violence 'cause it looks like we're madly in love, you know? <v Cynthia>Okay, here I'll get the door for you.</v> <v ->Oh.</v> <v ->Ooh.</v> <v ->Gross!</v> <v Sophie>That was a rotten egg too!</v> <v Cynthia>Okay, then.</v> <v Lilah>I don't know if I wanna pick up the next one.</v> <v Cynthia>This one's okay.</v> <v ->My mom is--</v> <v ->My mom is eccentric.</v> <v ->My mom is weird.</v> Yeah. Professionally she's a person who gets people out of prison and for fun she's just all like, hmm, blah and spazzes out. <v ->She talks to people</v> and then she writes stuff on the computer and then she makes sure people does stuff, and then-- <v ->She has meetings a lot</v> <v ->Yeah, and--</v> <v Lilah>And she goes to a prison in the desert a lot.</v> <v Sophie>And then she'd cry.</v> <v ->She cries a lot.</v> <v ->For a long time.</v> <v ->A lot.</v> <v ->Activism's very labor intensive and annoying</v> and I would not do it. It's important but boring. <v ->Yeah.</v> <v ->I'd rather do genetics.</v> <v ->Ditto.</v> <v ->You don't even know what genetics are!</v> <v ->I know, right (laughs)!</v> (gentle music) <v ->I grew up in a really controlled household.</v> My house was sort of museum perfect, photo ready at all times. And doing things that were just in the face of what social norms and standards were, was very key to my teenage years of rebelling against my household. I was the only girl in my entire school with a Mohawk. There were kids in my school who were like, "Why do you look so weird?" (Cynthia laughing) Like, "Why do you do this?" I found a sense of community and camaraderie with teens that were living and working on the streets. We used to hang out by the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and snarl and make faces with all of our punk regalia on and charge like five bucks a picture from tourists. So, there could be something as innocent as that. To, people selling drugs, to people selling sex. Basically doing whatever they had to do to get by. You couldn't hang out with kids in the 1980s in the emergence of the HIV epidemic and not understand the horrors of policing, the horrors of what happens when people don't have access to healthcare, the horrors of racism, all of this stuff, all intertwined. I could be with those kids on the same street corner and my life was going to turn out differently because of my class privilege and racial privilege. And so I felt like it behooved me to do something to change that. We were all really optimistic about Kelli's case. It seemed like one of those rare instances where we really could see justice happen. When she lost, it was just devastating. And then suddenly a whistleblower sent us the minutes of a recent committee meeting of the California Department of Corrections. I was trying to figure out what to search for and I thought for sure it would be hidden. And then I saw the header, Birth Control and Sterilization right there. (mysterious music) Their research showed it would be very cost effective to sterilize women during labor and delivery. <v ->They were discussing within their meeting</v> about how to reclassify tubal ligation as medically necessary in order for it to be paid for by the state. <v ->Federal and state laws prohibit sterilizing people</v> in prison for the purpose of birth control but they were doing it anyway. So we sent a list of questions to the Federal Receivership. The whole job of that office is to make sure the laws are followed in healthcare delivery in the prisons. One of the questions was had they in fact started sterilizing women during labor and delivery? And the response was that yes, they were doing that at two women's prisons. This was signed by the Federal Receiver himself. And could he be so clueless that he wouldn't even know that he had just like stuck his foot in his mouth? (powerful music) Any hearing that came up that even touched on women's prisons, I would go. So there's a federal law that made it illegal for any entity that gets federal dollars to sterilize people who, for the purpose of birth control who are in prisons. And then I would present people the minutes and I would say, "Hey, the state has recommended this. "This is outrageous. "This is illegal under federal law." They see that as a cost-effective moment, an opportune moment in which to sterilize people. <v Woman>Definition section...</v> <v ->We were assured that, no, no,</v> that was just something that people talked about in that meeting but they actually weren't going to do or it was just an aside. It wasn't a big deal. They're not actually doing that. Just don't worry your pretty little heads. <v ->We were met with comments like, "Well,</v> "those women wouldn't really wanna have more children "anyway, would they?" <v ->I was in between projects.</v> So I was kinda prospecting, and CNN was playing in the background. <v ->Tonight a report on a really disturbing chapter</v> in our history, one that's a lot more recent than you might think. We're talking about eugenics, a word which is obviously typically associated with Nazi Germany. But there was a large eugenics movement in America before and after World War II. <v Reporter>The goal?</v> To rid the country of the feeble minded. <v ->Disability, race, and gender were the criteria.</v> By the 1930s, thirty states had passed laws allowing for coercive sterilization. <v Reporter>But California was in a league of its own.</v> The Golden State sterilized 20 thousand people. <v ->That blew my mind.</v> More people were sterilized in California than any other state in the country. (mysterious music) The Germans had actually came over to California to study California's program and then used the lessons to create their eugenics program in Nazi Germany. <v Dorothy>After World War II,</v> eugenics goes sort of underground. <v Narrator>The distribution of people is far off balance.</v> High birth rates go hand in hand with low income. <v ->It became more a policy of population control</v> through birth control policy, welfare policy. And now it was targeted mostly at women of color. ♪ Got enough children, what do we do ♪ ♪ Got enough children, what do we do ♪ <v Dorothy>There are government-sponsored campaigns</v> to sterilize indigenous women, women on Puerto Rico, Mexican origin women in California, as well as black women in the United States. <v Interviewer>You're saying, sterilize the woman</v> if she's had more than two illegitimate children? <v ->Right.</v> <v Interviewer>If she's on welfare?</v> <v ->Absolutely.</v> <v ->Last week a black Alabama couple</v> filed a one-million-dollar damage suit against the government charging that their two daughters had been sterilized without their informed consent. <v ->I put a X on a piece of paper and she told me,</v> that they were gonna give them some shots. <v Man>I see.</v> <v ->That's what she told me.</v> <v Interviewer>Why were they giving you the shots</v> in the first place? <v ->It keeping us from having children.</v> They said they didn't want us to have no children. <v Interviewer>Did it hurt you?</v> <v ->Doctors around the country performed hysterectomies</v> on young black women just to practice hysterectomies. <v Anderson>10s of thousands of Americans</v> were operated on against their will, or without their consent. <v Reporter>The government today</v> announced strict new rules to protect people who are sterilized. <v ->The guidelines require</v> written informed consent. <v ->A Washington federal judge</v> barred the government <v ->Expected to effect</v> more than a 100 thousand persons a year. Of minors under age 21, welfare mothers and others. <v ->The idea sparked in my head</v> that I would spend some time looking at historical eugenics in California. I started to google and I saw an article that Cynthia Chandler had written. So I immediately called her up. And I was like, "Is it true "that there are people in the prisons getting sterilized?" And she said, "Of course it's true." <v ->We've heard from a lot of people</v> about the surgeries that are happening on the inside. What a hysterectomy is, is the removal of your uterus. They typically would take the fallopian tubes as well and possibly the ovaries. When the ovaries are removed and there's that big drop in estrogen, people can have a lot of different symptoms. Having a lot of hot flashes, big mood changes, and your period stops. And then another thing that we were hearing from people was tubal ligation. The surgeon will cut the fallopian tubes. We've heard from individuals who were asked to sign forms when they were being put under anesthesia, if the doctor is asking repeatedly and you don't say yes, they might just go ahead and do it anyway, especially if you're having a C-section, because your reproductive organs, all of this good stuff, it's already out on the table basically, literally. It would not be difficult, cut and cauterize your tubes if they wanted to. And you don't know that you can't have more children in the future. (gentle music) <v ->I was given a six month sentence and I was pregnant.</v> So I asked the judge if I could either be sent to a mother infant program instead of going to prison. That way I could avoid giving birth in prison and being separated from my newborn baby. And she didn't wanna do that. They made me have a C-section. And I kept asking her why do I have to have a C-section? They said because of security purposes. You're gonna do major surgery on me and cut open my body for security purposes? I get to Madera County hospital, I'm handcuffed to the bed, cut open, under anesthesia. I had an epidural. I'm just majorly drugged up to where I don't even know probably what day of the week it is. The doctor had me sign a form. He said, "Are we doing a tubal ligation here?" That's something you're supposed to sit down and discuss in the office prior to the surgery. That's not something you just throw on me as you're cutting me open. And I declined and I couldn't even sign it so I just put an X. And I have no idea what I X'd. <v Cynthia>We started putting in a series</v> of public record act requests to get the numbers and the data on how many people were sterilized. <v ->So this is all the data, this is vaginal deliveries</v> and C-sections that's in here. <v Cynthia>Right.</v> 222 C-sections out of 393 births. <v Robin>Yeah.</v> <v Cynthia>That's a really remarkably</v> high rate of C-sections. <v Robin>Yeah.</v> <v Cynthia>It's a little fishy to imagine</v> that multiple people would be giving birth on the same day also having C-sections and also choosing to have tubal ligations. <v Robin>So you can see there's ligate oviducts add-on</v> and that kind of kills me, the add-on part. It wasn't necessary for the surgery but we thought we'd just take away your reproductive capacity. (investigative music) <v ->Justice Now had gotten a partial list</v> of tubal ligation surgeries that had been reimbursed to the doctors so the state were paying the doctors for having performed these surgeries. As an investigative reporter, I've seen spreadsheets that have fields removed. And I was like there's more to this data than what you guys have. There is a culture of secrecy in California. They don't call it secrecy, they call it privacy. Not only do you have women in prison, you have laws around protecting their confidentiality, but then you have medical privacy. There's just layers and layers of plausible reasons why somebody can say no. So I was getting doors slammed and stonewalled left and right. Then it became a question of how do I put a human face on this data. Justice Now had access on the inside that I didn't have. And so I was very anxious. You know, hook me up here, give me access to somebody who can help me. <v ->In 2006, I was sentenced to Valley State Prison for Women.</v> I was 21 years old and I was pregnant at the time. <v ->Someone asked me to work out at the prison</v> in the OB department. And I'm like, "OB department?" You have an OB department in prison? Yeah. You know, women come in pregnant. And I'm like oh, okay (laughs). That's a new thought. <v ->See when you go way over on this side</v> there's just not much fluid and you've had this happen to you before. <v ->Yeah.</v> <v ->I was there being seen by Dr. Heinrich.</v> He was eating while I was, you know, laid up on the bed waiting to be examined. <v ->He would be doing a vaginal exam and be smacking his lips</v> and that just grossed the patients out. <v ->And I'm like, is this the best time</v> to be eating that sandwich? Right, while you're doing a pap smear? <v Corey>He'd be working without gloves on,</v> or eating popcorn. It was just filthy. He had a history of lawsuits that resulted in settlements where the allegations were really serious. We're talking basic level mistakes that resulted in permanently deformed children or permanently deformed women. <v ->I ended up working at the infirmary.</v> I would have to give the inmates urine cups and write their name on it. While I was working the infirmary, Dr. Heinrich made a comment that some people shouldn't have kids, because they keep coming back and forth to prison, he sees women that come back and forth to prison all the time and they keep coming back pregnant. <v ->Heinrich would look at their file.</v> He would figure out if this was their first time or if this was a repeat time. And then he would make a judgment call to pitch the woman on getting their tubes tied. <v ->He would become somewhat pushy about it and insistent.</v> <v ->I talked to the nurses all the time</v> and I don't know if maybe they played a factor in softening up Dr. Heinrich not to have me sterilized because it was my first time in prison. <v ->One of the challenges with this story</v> and the question of eugenics, you ultimately have to get to intent. You have inmates making allegations against people who have PhDs, right? And so the question then becomes how do you know that the crook is telling the truth? So I'm calling Dr. Heinrich and I get a woman she says, "He's not gonna talk," she slams the phone down. But I'm getting desperate. And I decide to just get in my car and drive to his house. And I just knock on the door and I'm drenched in sweat, and he came to the door and I said, "Hi, Dr. Heinrich, my name's Corey Johnson, "I'm with Center for Investigative Reporting, "can I have some water?" And he stopped and he said, "Okay, come on in." And as I get the water, I pull out my laptop and I show him a spreadsheet of costs and I say to him point blank, "The rules say "that sterilization procedures were banned. "And according to this spreadsheet, "there's well over $100,000 that has been paid of taxpayer money on a procedure that's banned." And then that's when he said, "Well, that's cheaper than welfare." <v Reporter 1>A bombshell report from the</v> Center of Investigative Reporting-- <v Reporter 2>Female inmates in California</v> were illegally sterilized. <v Reporter 3>Doctors pressured them into tubal ligations.</v> <v ->While they were on an operating table, heavily sedated.</v> <v ->That's absolutely not the appropriate time</v> to be attempting to get consent for major life-changing surgery. <v Reporter>Prison officials claim</v> it helped save the state money. <v ->It's like a drop in the bucket compared</v> to quote, "What you save in welfare "paying for these unwanted children "as they procreated more." <v ->And these are by the way,</v> mostly repeat offenders who were sterilized. <v ->Where are they getting pregnant in prison,</v> like that's the first question you have to address? <v ->No, absolutely not.</v> <v ->Disgusting, eww.</v> <v ->When the story came out, within hours</v> there were at least 700 comments. Within a day there was over 2000. <v Woman>Why does the state need to give its consent</v> if the women already are? <v Man>We give our criminals way too many rights</v> when they go to prison. People get up in arms and say this is like eugenics. <v Woman>If they can't stay out of jail and raise</v> their kids without our assistance, why reproduce? Can you explain why you consider these coercive? <v Woman>Since when do prisoners' rights trump the rights</v> of the people that live in the state of California. <v Man>Unless you can step forward and show</v> that you have the financial wherewithal to take care of the child, I'm going to prohibit you from having a child... <v Corey>It got real ugly.</v> There were days where I just would not look at the comments because I didn't want to be messed up in the head all day. <v Chair>Okay, if everybody would take a seat,</v> we're gonna get started. <v ->The fact that it is the 21st century</v> and we have to ask our state auditor to see if women in California are being coercively sterilized is absolutely unconscionable and frankly revolting. <v ->Joyce Hayhoe representing</v> California Correctional Healthcare Services. First of all we support this audit request and we believe-- <v ->Well, I certainly as chair appreciate</v> that you're here to support the audit. I think the more important question is why you didn't know. The Receiver was put in place specifically to come in and protect the constitutional rights of inmates. <v ->Mr. Kelso was not aware</v> until it was brought to my attention. <v ->Receiver himself was not aware--</v> <v Joyce>Not until 2010--</v> <v ->Of what was happening under his watch?</v> <v ->Correct.</v> <v Chair>That's your testimony today?</v> <v ->Yes, yes.</v> <v Chair>Okay.</v> <v ->I do believe that the Receiver's office itself</v> was in fact aware of that before then. And if you go from September 10, 2008 and move forward to 2010, over 50 people were illegally sterilized during labor and delivery in that period. <v ->Medical doctors thought that it was okay</v> to sterilize women without their permission? <v ->No, um.</v> Medical doctors thought it was okay to sterilize women having been given informed consent. And so most of-- <v ->[Committee Member] Isn't that the same as</v> without their permission? I'm confused on the-- <v ->Women were signing consent forms.</v> <v ->I'd love to see a copy of that form</v> to see if I could even understand it, let alone a woman that's under duress. This is, this is unbelievable. <v ->One should not be asked in that environment</v> to give up a fundamental right to bear children. I've had the displeasure of a dozen times going through people's medical records and learning that they were sterilized during unrelated medical procedures and they didn't know it. The state has admitted that they have done these illegal surgeries but we don't actually know who they did them on. <v ->I'd like to prioritize this audit</v> so that the auditor can put this at the front of the line and get to it as quickly as possible. (investigative music) Okay, I would remind members of the committee please... <v ->It was incredibly affirming</v> to hear the legislature call these abuses outrageous. We've been working for years to get the government to take this seriously. Finally the state legislators are standing up and doing what needs to be done. The Department of Corrections and the Receivers claim, usually there was very little personal knowledge on the part of prison administrators of this happening. <v ->It's my understanding that many</v> of these did have some kind of consent at the outside doctor because these procedures are performed in a community facility, just so that's clear. They are not performed at the institution. <v ->Doctors statewide felt for whatever reason</v> that it was being sanctioned by the department. <v ->There may be doctors who aren't aware of the policy</v> or the federal law issue. I can well imagine an outside physician in good faith thinking that this is a matter of reproductive autonomy, not knowing the conversation that has been going on about the inability to give valid consent in prison. <v ->For inmates, to sign consent is a really big deal.</v> Because they are seen as a ward of the court and not really being allowed to enter into contracts. You would think there would have been a red flag when the billing departments received those bills. <v ->When I arrived at the Receivership in 2008,</v> we did not use standard um medical billing codes. And so there really was no easy way for us to know what we were paying for. <v ->That seems very unbelievable to me.</v> To do a medical procedure there's incredible layers of paperwork that has to happen and it has to be vetted by a medical committee at each prison. So I would suspect that many high up officials were in fact aware of what was going on and potentially part of it. <v ->Everything had to go through committee</v> and everything had to be documented as to why this was necessary. <v ->At the point that Dr. Heinrich was hired,</v> sterilization procedures have been going on for years at multiple prisons. He strongly believed that there were women that were gaming the system, and that needed to be stopped. <v ->He was cognizant of costs and trying to save the state</v> and the prison system money. <v ->That attitude tracked precisely to the historical attitude</v> of the California leaders of the eugenics movement. They had always used cost benefit as the justifier for why they were doing what they were doing, and so in that way, Heinrich was part of a legacy. If you just stop and make him the face of it, do you really get at the problem? (gentle music) (children cheering) <v ->Thank you.</v> <v ->Have a good day, see you.</v> <v ->Alright.</v> <v ->Have a good one.</v> <v ->Have a good day, you too.</v> (ice cream truck music) This my space, for right now. Of course I desire to have my own home but my mom's older, and you know I feel good about being able to be here with her. I wasn't able to be here with my dad. I lost my dad when I was in prison. So for God to give me an opportunity to be with my mom in her latter years, even though we fight like cats and dogs. But at the same time, she tough too. So she's one of my best opponents. My relationship with my oldest son is very strained. He remembers some of the episodes of domestic violence. I had to back up and give my son the space that he needs in order to figure out what happened to not only him, but us. (Skype ringing) How you doin? <v ->Hi.</v> <v Kelli>What's up with it?</v> <v ->I'm alright.</v> <v Kelli>You alright?</v> But my youngest son doesn't remember the violence and the interaction with me as a mother. Listen, I supposed to come down there. Remember, I'm trying to get Anthony to come with me. And I think that at times that he look at the fact that me and you, we get along a little bit better. Because you just let shit hap... If it happen, it happen. Bygones is bygones. Okay, we passed that. <v ->A lot of the shit that we, we been through,</v> I feel like we cool. We gotta get closer together. <v ->Right.</v> Thank God for this technology of FaceTime. Alright then baby, I love you. But to me the FaceTime is a glass window like when I was incarcerated. Instead of me having all these scars, from the things that happened to me, I want things that symbolize my victories. And so to me, this with the three butterflies that represent me and my two sons. And as soon as I got this tattoo, I just start feeling liberated, ya know. It's me taking the power back on my body, and putting things there that represent who I am as opposed to what I've been through. <v ->[Hannah-Beth Jackson] Good morning everybody.</v> Good morning. All right. <v ->We made a plan to speak to different legislatures</v> that we thought would be strategic. And Senator Jackson was at the top of that list. <v ->Boy, this thing moves slowly doesn't it.</v> <v ->She showed up to the hearing</v> when she isn't on that committee. That doesn't happen (chuckle). Legislators that are on committees don't show up to their hearings. Legislators that are on committees are twiddling their thumbs and falling asleep. <v ->Great, thanks.</v> Okay, bye-bye. When I first learned of what was going on, I was absolutely horrified. The fact that these women were being treated like objects and as non-human beings. How could this be happening? We had outlawed sterilization since 1979 and many of us assumed that it had ended at that time. A blight on our state history, but nonetheless had stopped. So this bill was to make it very, very clear that doctors cannot perform these procedures in prison, period. <v Director>Did you know that tubal ligations were illegal?</v> <v ->I did not know that, actually.</v> <v ->If I had known that that was illegal,</v> I would not have obtained the consents for it. (telephone ringing) <v ->I'm typing up a survey,</v> breaking down each different component of the bill and asking people on the inside if they agree or disagree. And then there's room for people to write more about what it is that they feel. "Keep up the great work," or, "This is why I disagree with a particular part". They just have room to explain that, if they want to. <v ->[Electronic Voice] Call from an inmate</v> at the Central California Women's Facility. <v Mychal>Hey, how are you?</v> <v Group>Hello, how are you doing?</v> <v Courtney>Justice Now is the only organization</v> that we know of that has people who are currently imprisoned on the board. <v ->Do you feel like folks are feeling good about the bill</v> or they're having some significant concerns? <v Mychal>Well I think for the most part</v> we were handing out the questionnaires and we were trying to have town hall meetings to make sure that key organizers were able to get those questionnaires into the building. And then we were going to meet up with those people on the yard to get those questionnaires back. <v Allison>And how has that been going?</v> <v Mychal>We know that some people are afraid</v> of discussing it. One, for fear of retaliation. <v ->Yeah.</v> <v Mychal>And there's just been a lot of pressure they feel</v> to be quiet sometimes and even though they'll talk to us privately. <v ->We're going to be bringing to the legislature actual words</v> and experiences from people inside. And so that information that you're gathering is so crucial. <v Group>Yeah, thank you.</v> (gentle music) <v Woman>I was naive.</v> I really didn't know what to do. I just went along with the doctor 'cause I figured he knew best. <v Woman 2>I didn't know that I won't have children.</v> <v Woman 3>I'd been told well you're pre-menopausal.</v> You're past breeding age like I was a cow. <v Woman 4>I would've loved to have a child.</v> <v Woman 5>I've seen it happen in more so Hispanic,</v> African American, you don't hear too much of it happening in a Caucasian descent at all. <v Woman 6>We're women in prison.</v> Who cares if they mess up our reproductive system? We're prisoners. We shouldn't be able to reproduce anyway. <v ->There's certain things that I picked up in prison</v> that I believe were positive habits. This is a habit that I got out of prison, is after we use the sink we spray it down. Which is, most people don't do that. But you know, when you in prison, you develop this germaphobe of... You've got eight girls using the same sink. Only got one week left for school. And it seem like it's been the toughest month, and I'm only at a undergrad level, I can just imagine how it's going to be me trying to go after my, masters. <v ->[Defense Attorney] When will you complete</v> your associate's degree? <v ->I think uh--</v> <v ->[Kelli's Attorney] Objection, cause for speculation.</v> <v ->[Defense Attorney] Yeah, go ahead.</v> She's objecting for the record. Please go ahead and answer the question. <v ->Oh, Okay.</v> I'm hoping, is it, can I hope? <v ->[Defense Attorney] You certainly can.</v> (everyone laughing) <v ->Um, I'm hoping to be completed</v> at least a semester coming out of incarceration. I have less than a year left. <v ->[Defense Attorney] Is there a particular area of emphasis?</v> <v ->Oh, wait, I'm so nervous.</v> Social Studies. <v ->[Defense Attorney] Have you given any thought</v> as to what you want to do with that degree? <v ->I really would like to work with battered women</v> and troubled young teen girls. (upbeat music) <v ->Welcome back to The Dialogue.</v> We are talking about the effects of trauma, abuse, and domestic violence on the black community. We're starting with Miss Kelli Dillon. She is a survivor of domestic violence and an advocate for prevention and intervention. <v ->Most of the people see victims as very fragile, docile--</v> <v Radio Guest>Helpless.</v> <v ->Helpless, um white.</v> We are seen as aggressive. <v ->When a police officer approaches a female,</v> African-American or Latina, they automatically ask them, "Are you gang affiliated?" 92% of all the women that are in prison, are in prison because of domestic violence. <v ->I had already been sexually assaulted,</v> I had already been held hostage in the house for three days. When I call the police they said, "You don't look like a victim." So I had lost hope in the people that were supposed to be there to protect and serve me. <v Radio Host>Right.</v> <v ->And at that point I had had it.</v> Either I was gonna get out by foot or in a body bag. I just wanted out. <v ->We've gotten over 400 responses on this survey</v> so far and there are more coming in every day. And that's pretty significant when you consider that there are approximately 3000 people inside CCWF. (gentle music) "I did not know that I had another choice." "I was not given follow up care." It's you know just a line of agree, agree, agree, agree. People came out of the woodwork through that survey. It goes deeper than even we who've been working on this for a decade know. <v Chair>If you could go ahead and present SB1135 please.</v> <v ->My name is Kelly Densmore</v> and I am reading a statement from somebody inside. At Valley State Prison for Women my gynecologist tried to get me to have a hysterectomy. <v Woman>You take a big risk by speaking out on abuses</v> that happen to you behind bars. <v ->In prison you worry about filing a complaint</v> against a doctor because the threat of retaliation is always there. <v Woman 1>But I can't sit as a woman and not speak out.</v> <v ->The United Nations convention on human rights</v> talks about the right to family. <v Woman 2>I understand that we're where we're at,</v> but I'm still a human being. <v ->We are not animals.</v> <v ->They don't care about us.</v> <v ->There's no accountability here.</v> <v ->Morally wrong.</v> <v ->This is not okay.</v> <v Woman 2>We need help from the outside.</v> <v ->A bill needs to be signed.</v> <v ->On human rights.</v> <v ->Please pass this bill as a step in the right direction</v> towards universal human rights, not just human rights for people outside of prison. <v ->I was the attorney who actually</v> reviewed Kelli Dillon's medical records and had the displeasure of having to communicate to her that she had been sterilized without her knowledge or consent. She was one of 10 women in the California prison system that I've had that same conversation with, all of whom were women of color, who were darker skinned women of color and or transgender people. I am incredibly heartfelt that this is now being taken seriously and I strongly support this bill. Thank you. <v ->Are there speakers in opposition to the bill?</v> <v ->We represent 55 hundred obstetricians</v> and gynecologists here in California. We oppose the bill because by completely banning sterilization, we're taking away a woman's right to consent to a procedure. I've had patients with complex heart conditions. If they were undergoing a cesarean section, I would recommend for a tubal sterilization given the risk of any subsequent pregnancy to their health. For every sterilization procedure in which I have personally participated in, the patient is asked not once, not twice but dozens of times by multiple providers whether or not she would like to proceed with the sterilization. <v Cynthia>We were shocked</v> that our opposition came from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Very few of their members, let alone their leadership, work in prisons. <v ->The priority of ACOG is the health</v> and well being of our patients. And we are hopeful that we can find a process through which these women will have access to sterilization. <v ->Their testimony</v> created a tremendous obstacle for this bill. They want people to make reproductive choices but we don't know what goes on in prison. The prison is a black hole. <v ->Inside a prison setting to ask somebody</v> to make a decision like that is not a really good idea. People have total control over you. If you don't follow the rules or anybody simply says that you didn't follow the rule, you can have time added to the time you're already serving. <v ->We needed to make our case</v> that indeed these procedures were being done without consent. <v Cynthia>You know we've been having a really hard time</v> identifying who the people were who were sterilized while they were giving birth. Right? <v ->Oh!</v> <v Cynthia>As opposed to folks like you</v> who were sterilized during other operations. <v ->Okay.</v> <v Cynthia>And that's one of the reasons</v> why it would be so key to feature you. <v ->Yeah.</v> <v Cynthia>I think it's really our best hope</v> of stopping the sterilizations. And we could practice what your testimony is gonna be. <v ->Do I have to go in front of like a jury</v> or something like that? Like what do you mean testify? <v Cynthia>When a legislator creates a bill,</v> it has to travel in front of a bunch of committees before it goes before the whole Senate to vote. And then... <v ->I have a obligation to back Cynthia</v> because if it was not for her I would not have found out everything that had happened to me. But, I couldn't go through like another interview, testimony, hearing, or anything because once I'm done then I'm, you know I leave and I go home and everybody go home but I'm left now with having regurgitated all of those emotions and feelings and now they're here and they're here and here, and then no one's there to help me process it. (gentle music) Yes, I have the power to change lives with the awareness what happened to me but it's still my story and I still own it and I still have the say so of who I want to tell it to and why I want to tell it. It belongs to me. (clock ticking) <v ->The bill isn't moving forward</v> and it's just exhausting everyone. It's not just me, it's the whole organization and I think on an organizational leadership perspective it's like how long can I continue not just to push myself but how long can I continue to push everyone else? (crickets croaking) What ranking are you on that game now? <v Sophie>Aren't you like 30?</v> <v Lilah>29.</v> <v Cynthia>29 out of how many people playing</v> that online game? <v ->I can check what place my is now,</v> because it probably changed. <v ->Hundreds of thousands.</v> <v Cynthia>Hundreds of thousands?</v> <v ->At least.</v> <v Cynthia>My kids were telling their friends,</v> "Oh yeah, that's my mom, the champion for everybody else." "You're always promoting the leadership of people inside but my friends and I are dealing with all this crap at school and you're not helping us." And I was like, "Oh my gosh, you're right." I spend all my resources and basically all my capacities in building up other people that I was neglecting my children. (Cynthia sighing) If this goes nowhere and I've lost all that time with my kids, I... Yeah, that would just be a shame. (rain pattering) <v ->[Defense Attorney] What was your thought process</v> as to whether or not you wanted to have more children when you got out? <v ->I had a hope and a possibility</v> that I might find a man that would love me and treat me... Who would love me. And that I might be able to like have a family. Or a chance to be a mother. (group softly chattering) Hi. <v ->Hi.</v> <v ->Good to see you.</v> <v ->Good to see you, too.</v> <v ->How you been?</v> <v ->I'm good, how are you?</v> <v ->Hi.</v> <v Kelli>Hi, oh I love your hair today.</v> <v Cami>Thank you, I'm Cami.</v> <v Kelli>Hi Cami, nice to meet you.</v> We ready today? All right. It's hard to cram in. <v ->I know, and that's why I was like I was so--</v> <v Kelli>Something so tragic, in two, three minutes.</v> <v Misty>Right.</v> <v ->Like how how how do I sum up...</v> I mean, how do we sum up what happened in two or three minutes, you know? <v ->Maybe you should start it out like that.</v> How do I sum up what they did to me in two or three minutes? <v ->We're testifying in front</v> of the Assembly Health Committee. And if it passes that committee then it will go to the assembly floor. And if it passes that then it will be going to the governor's desk, after that. So we're keeping our fingers crossed that he will see how important this is and sign the bill into law. <v ->Now it's more so about making it okay to say,</v> "Kelli, that did happen." Acknowledging that it's a part of me. <v ->And then moving forward with that.</v> <v ->And then moving forward with it.</v> <v ->Yeah.</v> <v ->It was one thing to fight about what happened,</v> but then it's another thing to settle with the fact that, this is what happened, and this is now who you are for the rest of your life, period. Every time I've dated and I'm happy, I'm ecstatic about the relationship, I'm falling in love, and then all of a sudden it comes crashing down when they say, "I would love to have a kid with you." <v ->Hmm.</v> <v ->And when they say that,</v> then I really feel unworthy, I feel unwhole. You know I feel ashamed. And so there's a part of me that's tired of feeling that way too. (tense music) <v ->I have with me here today Kelli Dillon.</v> She is a domestic violence counselor, a gang interventionist, she has dedicated her life to ending violence against women in her community, and also experienced sterilization abuse while imprisoned here in California and is here today to share her story. <v ->I am a survivor of non-consensual,</v> unlawful sterilization that was performed on me at the age of 24 in 2001 while I was an inmate in Central California Women's Facility. I'm here to testify that what this bill represents is real for the women that are incarcerated and this thing has happened to. I wanted a second chance at life and I wanted a second chance at being a mother. I trusted... (Kelli sobbing) I trusted the surgeon to respect and to acknowledge that I still had a future and that I wanted one. I feel like I have been robbed of the fullness that could have been given to me had this not happened to me. Did this happen to me because I was African-American? Did it happen to me because I was a woman? Did it happen to me because I was a inmate? Or did it happen to me because I was all three? As I'm sitting here listening to myself, I'm saying to myself like, damn, this a sad ass story. Where the fuck is my happy ending? I deserve a fresh new start. I'm ready to fall in love. I'm ready to be loved. I'm ready to have a home. I'm ready to see the world. I'm a good person that a lot of fucked up shit has happened to. I'm ready. I am so, so ready. I just want to finish up by saying that this bill will help to protect other women who have the opportunity to be rehabilitated and to actually restore the quality of their life and the gift that life has to offer, which is motherhood and having children. As a survivor of non-consensual unlawful sterilization, I'm asking you to approve this bill. <v ->Katherine Williams with the ACLU of California in support.</v> <v ->Emma Hartung of Legal Services</v> for Prisoners with Children in strong support. <v ->Rebecca Gonzalez, National Association</v> of Social Workers California chapter in support. <v ->They all said aye.</v> <v ->Yes so.</v> <v Woman>Yay.</v> Oh we're not all in, we're not all in. <v ->We're a team.</v> This was an amazing team today. (gentle music) <v Reporter>Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill</v> bringing an end to forced prison sterilization. <v ->The bill passed with bipartisan support.</v> It's criminal behavior now to do this and we've let the correction system know they're on record. <v Cynthia>They cannot sterilize people in prison</v> for the purpose of birth control ever again. <v ->This bill will set a standard</v> for the other prisons throughout the United States. Because this is not just happening here in the state of California, it's actually happening all over. <v ->I've thought from the very beginning</v> that this bill should have been called the Kelli Dillon Anti-coercive Sterilization Bill, you know. I think but for her inspiration and her courage early, early on, Justice Now wouldn't have even been investigating this stuff. We never would have found out about the abuses, let alone would there have been a bill. <v ->This is just the beginning.</v> This is just the beginning. (party goers chattering) <v ->Shoes!</v> Look at the fucking shoes! Everybody look at our founder's shoes. Oh my god. Aren't they fun? They are really fun. <v ->When people say, "Oh,</v> we can't change the prison system." Yes we can. Because we are, we are change. We are proof that it can happen. (crowd cheering) Our mission of Justice Now is to have formerly incarcerated and women that are on the board have the chance to come into Justice Now and transition into bigger leadership roles and run Justice Now. ♪ Make up your mind, what you're searching for ♪ ♪ Is it money, is it something like freedom ♪ ♪ Nothing against myself ♪ ♪ But I can really see myself ♪ ♪ Come around, come around, come around, now I'm holdin it ♪ <v ->I was just talking to my son right,</v> and I was telling him about the graduation. Because I never got the chance to-- <v ->Do this.</v> <v ->Do those things.</v> The first time I didn't get the chance to graduate because of me being a teenage mom. Then I didn't get a chance to graduate from medical assistant school because of the domestic violence and abuse. And me coming home from prison, like this means everything to me. (graduates cheering) (upbeat music) <v Announcer>Kelli Dillon.</v> (family cheering) ♪ Make up your mind, what you're searching for ♪ ♪ Stake a claim, is it vain, do ya see your name in lights ♪ ♪ Make up your mind, what you're searching for ♪ ♪ Is it money, is it something like freedom ♪ <v Cynthia>The bill is the culmination</v> of my work at Justice Now. But there's still so much that needs to be done. I'm frustrated this isn't a bigger national conversation. We can't afford to forget. (gentle music) <v Woman 1>The bill was so needed</v> because Department of Corrections had been spitting on woman's sterilization problem for years. <v Woman 2>But now that there's been a small victory,</v> they're blocking advocates or anyone who's coming in from the outside from being able to come in freely to interview inmates. <v Woman 3>There are women today</v> that need reproductive care but absolutely cannot get it, because of the retaliation. <v Woman 4>The doctor told me,</v> thanks to your fellow inmates, I'm not doing nothing. <v WOMAN 5>When they say that CDC</v> is the belly of the beast, it's literal. <v ->We have yet to get an apology.</v> We have yet to be acknowledged. We have to crack this thing wide open. CDC has to be made accountable. <v Director>Part of this bill was</v> to really highlight the illegality of these procedures. <v ->So yes and to me that's a good thing.</v> As to whether I think it's, should be illegal... Not necessarily. Even if it's not medically necessary, it could or would in the long run save the state funds, like doctor was saying. So, you know, was he wrong in that estimation? Probably not. Because as I said, the ideal time to do a tubal is when they're already in there. It just takes a couple more minutes and a couple more snips. [mysterious music] <v ->Good morning Mr. Chair and Members,</v> I am here to proudly present Assembly Bill 1764, which will provide redress to people who were involuntarily sterilized under California's previous eugenics laws, and female inmates of California state prisons who were sterilized without proper authorization. This bill provides material acknowledgement of this injustice by creating the Forced Sterilization Compensation Program. (uplifting music) <v ->Like I always talked about where's the happy ending?</v> Like no, I'm not, this is, I'm unsatisfied. There gotta be a happy ending. I watch too much, I live in LA in Hollywood, there has to be a fucking happy ending. Like, it has to be a happy ending somewhere. ♪ What's going on ♪ ♪ When I've gotta fight for a right ♪ ♪ That is rightfully mine ♪ ♪ What's going on ♪ ♪ When the world can decide ♪ ♪ If a caged bird flies ♪ ♪ Or ever gets a chance to grow ♪ ♪ Too many people are invisible ♪ ♪ It's a problem how can we ignore what's going on ♪ ♪ I got questions, I need answers ♪ ♪ It's been too long ♪ ♪ Why-I, I cry I-I, oh, why ♪ ♪ Do these tears keep running dry ♪ ♪ But I just keep fighting ♪ ♪ 'Cause it ain't over ♪ ♪ Till it's over ♪ ♪ It ain't over till it's done ♪ ♪ Till these shackles are broken ♪ ♪ It ain't over ♪ ♪ 'Cause some wounds never heal ♪ ♪ Do you see what you done, see what you done ♪ ♪ 'Cause some wounds never heal ♪ ♪ Do you see what you done, see what you done ♪ ♪ 'Cause some wounds never heal ♪ ♪ Do you see what you done ♪ ♪ What's going on ♪ ♪ We got strength, but no power ♪ ♪ All we've ever wanted was what's ours ♪ ♪ Then one day we wake up ♪ ♪ And everything has changed ♪ ♪ Who can I blame ♪ ♪ Who's gonna carry the shame ♪ ♪ After all this pain, I'll never be the same ♪ ♪ Why-I, I cry I-I, oh, why ♪ ♪ But while I still got time, time ♪ ♪ I'll just keep on fighting ♪ ♪ 'Cause it ain't over, no it ain't over ♪ ♪ Till it's over, till it's over ♪ ♪ It it's over, till it's done ♪ ♪ Till these shackles are broken ♪ ♪ It ain't over ♪ ♪ 'Cause some wounds never heal ♪ ♪ Do you see what you done, see what you done ♪ ♪ 'Cause some wounds never heal ♪ ♪ Can you see what you done, see what you done ♪ ♪ 'Cause some wounds never heal ♪ ♪ Do you see what you done ♪ ♪ Now we won't lay down, we're survivors ♪ ♪ All my scars are my reminders ♪ ♪ We won't lay down, we're survivors ♪ ♪ All my scars are my reminders ♪ ♪ 'Cause it ain't over ♪ (logo music)

Kelli LeShawn Dillon Thomas

prison sentence

abusive husband

challenges in prison

strip searches

emotional toll

Cynthia Chandler

lack of healthcare access

non-consensual hysterectomy

Corey Johnson

non-consensual sterilizations

forced sterilization

negative impact on victims

informed consent

California prisons

advocacy work

targeting women of color

prisoners' rights