Petition of A.S. Priddy, M.D. to the Special Board of Directors of State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded
7/1924
At 17 years old, Carrie Buck became pregnant (later reported to have been the result of rape, allegedly by a relative of her foster parents). Shortly after the birth of her child, her foster parents had her committed to the “Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded” on the grounds of feeble-mindedness, incorrigible behavior and promiscuity. Buck was declared mentally incompetent and her daughter was taken away from her.
Albert S. Priddy, the superintendent of the “Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded,” used Carrie to test the legality of Virginia’s involuntary sterilization law. John H. Bell replaced Priddy after his death in 1925.
On May 2, 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the state’s statute allowing for the sterilization of people who were thought of as “unfit,” including the intellectually disabled. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. delivered the majority opinion of the Court, including: “It is better for all the world if, instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind….Three generations of imbeciles are enough.” (This referenced the fact that Buck’s mother had been committed to a state institution, Buck’s diagnosis, and the assumption in the Court’s opinion that Buck’s children would be “socially inadequate.”)
Bell performed Buck’s sterilization on October 19, 1927. She was the first person involuntarily sterilized under Virginia’s Laws for the sterilization of persons considered “unfit” — an estimated 8,300 Virginians were sterilized under the state law from 1927 to 1972.
Transcript
968-R. 958 [[hand written]]Carrie Buck vs. Dr. J. H. Bell [[typed italics, crossed out]]
17 [[typed, page number]]
12* * Before the Special Board of Directors of the State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded: [[typed]]
A. S. PRIDDY, M.D., Superintendent,
v. Petition
CARRIE BUCK, infant inmate of the above institution [[typed]]
[[check mark]] Petition [[hand written]]
To the Special Board of Directors of State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded:
Your petitioner, the undersigned A. S. Priddy, M.D., Superin-tendent of the State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded, acting pursuant to the provisions of the Act of the General Assembly of Vir-ginia, approved March 20, 1924. (Chap. 394, Acts of Assembly, 1924) entitled "An Act to provide for the sexual sterilization of inmates of State institutions in certain cases," respectfully represents:
(1) Petitioner is the duly appointed Superintendent of the afore-said State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded.
(2) Petitioner is of opinion that it is for the best interests of the aforesaid Carrie Buck and of society
that the said Carrie Buck, who is an inmate of the said institution under petitioner's care, should be sexually sterilized, she being afflicted with feeble-mindedness.
13* *(3) The facts of the case and the grounds of petitioner's opinion, verified by his affidavit hereinafter made, to the best of his knowledge and belief, are as follows:
The said Carrie Buck, by reason of the laws of heredity, would in all probability, if permitted to bear children, transmit to her offspring some form of mental defectiveness by which the offspring would, in view of professional experience and teaching, develop some form of mental disease or defect such as feeble-mindedness, insanity or epilepsy, and by reason of her anti-social conduct and mental defective-ness, she is unfit to exercise the proper duties of motherhood. The said Carrie Buck is possessed of good physical health and strength and if by sterilization she be made incapable of child-bearing could leave the Colony and enjoy the liberty and blessings of outdoor life, become self-supporting, and thereby relieve the Commonwealth of Virginia of the burden of the support of her under custodial care, in a State institu-tion for mental defectives during the period of child-bearing and the said Carrie Buck desires that the said operation be performed.
The said Carrie Buck was received into the State Colony, after
having been committed from the City of Charlottesville, on January 2, 1924,
and the following facts are given in depositions taken at the time of commitment:
*14 [[is penciled out]]
(4) The said Carrie Buck has no father living, her mother,
Emma Harlowe Buck, is a legally committed inmate, feeble-minded, in
the State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-minded, and so far as your
petitioner knows, is advised and believes, the said Carrie Buck has no
legal guardian or committee and she is now of the age of 18 years her
last birthday.
Upon the application of your petitioner the Circuit Court of Amherst
County in which said institution is located, on Monday, July 21, 1924,
Robert G. Shelton, of Madison Heights, Va., was appointed to
act as guardian of the said Carrie Buck during and for the purpose of
the proceedings hereunder to defend her rights and interests as
provided by said statute. A copy thereof, certified by the Clerk of the
said Court, is filed as an exhibit herewith.
(5) In consideration of the premises petitioner prays that your
honorable Board, after notice given according to law, shall hear and
determine the prayer of this petition that she said Carrie Buck may
be sexually sterilized by the performed by Dr. A.S. Priddy, of Colony, Va., who
is a competent and capable physician therefore, or by some other
competent and capable physician to be designated by your honorable board
*15[inked out]] Board in its other * [end ]] hereupon, and that petitioner may be
authorized to have such operation performed.
Petitioner prays for all such other and general authority and relief and orders in the premises as may be proper.
Respectfully,
A.S. Priddy
Petitioner
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