Ethnic group and welfare status of women sterilized in federally funded family planning programs, 1972
Vaughan, D.; Sparer, G.
Family Planning Perspectives 6(4): 224-229
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0014-7354 PMID: 4442570 DOI: 10.2307/2133710Document Number: 506383
A statistical study to determine if women from minority groups and women receiving public assistance were more likely to be sterilized than other women in federally assisted family planning projects is presented. The data used was provided by the National Reporting System for Family Planning Services. When the data was controlled for age and parity among welfare recipients and by minority, it was learned that Anglo women appeared to have a higher sterilization rate than black women or women of Latin American descent. However, without the controlling factors, the opposite result appeared to be the case. Nonwhite welfare recipients of similar age and parity had a sterilization rate almost twice that of nonrecipients though the rate was about 35% higher when age and parity were taken into account. Nonwhite women receiving contraceptive sterilization were not disproportionately represented when age and parity were controlled. This was also the case among white welfare recipients and nonrecipients. The data did not indicate that women were coerced into sterilization nor could it be determined that individual projects abused program guidelines.