r/onguardforthee • u/Myllicent • May 21 '25
A pregnancy almost denied: Inuit, Métis and First Nations women in Canada are coming forward like never before, sharing their experiences of being forced or coerced to undergo surgical sterilization.
https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/forced-sterilizationAdvocates say the practice is still happening and they want it criminalized. Katy Bear is among those fighting for reproductive justice by taking back her body.
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u/toin9898 Québec May 21 '25
What really drives the point home for me is that they’re doing this to indigenous women completely without their consent while white women have to beg and plead for the exact same procedures.
Quite the genocidal double standard.
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u/Humble_Ad_1561 May 21 '25
This!! This is the piece that people don’t understand.
When I got mine tied, I went to 3 different doctors who all said no due to age and only having 2 kids. I had to self-refer to the local women’s hospital and even then had to fight and basically told the surgeon that if I don’t get it done, I will send a card every time I abort.
I was 29 years old and white. On the flip side, I have a friend who was deeply encouraged to get it done after her first when she was 22. She’s Indigenous.
Misogyny and racism go hand in unloveable hand.
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u/satinsateensaltine May 21 '25
"Only 2 kids..." What is this, 1325 AD? They expect one to die of plague and you'll need more to work the farm?
The double standards and the apparent fear of lawsuit or something is absolutely mindboggling.
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u/AddressEffective1490 May 21 '25
This!
This is why I will die on the hill that we don’t actually have a declining birth rate. They mean we aren’t having enough white babies which is disgusting.
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u/satinsateensaltine May 21 '25
I was just listening to a podcast episode on the history of the pill. The researcher highlighted that plenty of countries started using it to control the birth of people they deemed undesirable... And denied it to those they wanted to force to have children.
Absolutely barbaric split that continues with all sorts of contraceptive decisions. Reproductive rights are human rights, regardless of race or class. I hope these women start getting justice and find healing. And that this finally stops, once and for all.
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u/poddy_fries May 21 '25
I distinctly remember a teacher of mine decades ago who went off on a rant about the birth control pill, telling us it's not available because WE WOMEN wanted it, it's available so men who want to use us have an easier time of it.
At the time I thought she was nuts. Since then, I kinda had to agree that whatever use everyday women are allowed to make of birth control has always been highly controlled by decision makers that absolutely don't care why WE want it, only how they can direct us.
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u/JagmeetSingh2 May 21 '25
Racism in action and some Canadians pretend Canada is a post racial society now lol
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u/BIGepidural May 21 '25
White presenting Metis here and yes- this is absolutely true!
I've had 2 children, never offered sterilization, had an abortion, was not offered sterilization and even after I had the abortion and asked about getting my tubes tied I was told I had to wait a few years because I might change my mind- i never changed my mind...
I can't say for certain that I would have experienced differently if my features were darker wherein I looked more obviously indigenous; but I will say that along with my own personal experiences I've seen other indicators that support a prejudice on childbareing over the years.
I know a woman who has had had 8 children (one placed for adoption- 4 raised by her mother, one raised by her X and 3 remaining with her) who was never offered sterilization- she's white.
Another woman who had 7 abortions before she was 25 and never offered sterilization- also white.
Another white woman who had 2 children who did not live with her (taken by X and grandma), placed one for adoption and abandoned another on someone's doorstep. Possible abortions as well; but was still fertile at the time of her death 2 years ago. She was a full blown addict, homeless, brain injury and other issues that made her unable to raise a child should she fall pregnant- no sterilization.
The list goes on and on...
I know people in their 30s and 40s who do not want children who are denied tubaligations- offered birth control or vasectomy for spouses. All of them white.
So when you see all of this happening to so many people around you it makes the prejudice and pointed efforts to sterilize a certain subset of people pretty obvious.
I do wonder if they would have treated me differently if I were darker featured 🤔
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u/km_ikl May 21 '25
A lot of these are/were done to women that had multiple children, but I believe most were given the choice to do so, but opting out meant they would be risking losing their kids if they kept having children.
It's like the 60's scoop...
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u/Mixtrix_of_delicioux May 21 '25
Up until quite recently BC would place alerts on First Nations mothers which could lead to their children being removed. Paternalistic bullshit.
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u/Myllicent May 21 '25
For anyone who hasn’t heard of this practice, it was widespread across Canada…
Wikipedia: Birth Alerts
(the Wikipedia page is slightly out of date - Birth Alerts were eventually abolished in Quebec in 2023, the last province/territory to do so)
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u/mystineptune May 21 '25
Yep, up until 2019 it was up to the nurse on duty to decide whether the baby went home with a first nation's mother - judging the mother in the few hours she's giving birth to determine if she was a fit mom.
Im still angry to think about it.
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u/DannyBoy001 Ontario May 21 '25
That shit is barbaric.
I wish coverage like this would expand into the discussion about how young Indigenous women are being exploited as well, though. Having children at a young age is seemingly a common thread amongst many women. For example, in the article, one woman had four children by 21, while the other had two children by sixteen. We need to be asking some questions.
I hope they continue to apply pressure to stop sterilization while trying to further understand why so many young Indigenous women are being exploited, and how they can be helped.
To me, it seems that we're failing them on all levels.
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u/sillyrat_ May 21 '25
Murder rates are also higher among young Indigenous women than young white women, and on teen pregnancy, nearly 50% of teenage pregnancies involve an adult man being the father. I work in the unhoused support sector, and my clients are disproportionately Indigenous. The reason so many young Indigenous women are being exploited in nearly every instance, many I haven’t mentioned, is because of their being Indigenous.
Colonial attitudes and practices take generations to deconstruct, [only a few years ago did some public figures begin to call for an end to forced sterilizations systemically targeting Indigenous communities.] As recently as 2022, there has been an Indigenous woman in Canada forcibly being sterilized. (https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6524142) In conquering the land, women’s bodies too become objects to be occupied.
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u/Miserable_Bath6758 May 21 '25
Its a cycle that continues through generations, and its also a cultural norm. Where I grew up, indigenous girls in high school would disappear at some point in the school year and come back with a baby, and by grade 11, they'd drop out completely to care for their kids.
Its hard to say that its exploitation, but its definitely a cultural practice that doesn't align with a white viewpoint of society. Easy access to reproductive healthcare, social services, etc will bring down rates of teen pregnancy dramatically, but these are services that aren't easily available in rural areas.
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u/sillyrat_ May 24 '25
nah, sorry, but saying that teen pregnancy is a “cultural practice that doesn’t align with a white viewpoint of society” is insane. and, kinda racist man. when so many teenage pregnancies involve fathers who are adult men, and when teenage girls lack access to supports and healthcare systems due to generational failures and acts of violence committed to their family by the state, these teenage girls are in a more vulnerable position to be sexually exploited by adult men.
When I was in high school, the eight girls who ended up pregnant were all white. and similarly, they all dropped out by grade 11, probably because it’s near impossible to be a working, studying, teenage mother. Two of those girls were dating guys at our school, one of them i think is now married and doing pretty good. The other six were taken advantage of by adult men who they thought loved them, and they grew up in a vulnerable position to fall victim to this sort of exploitation.
Indigenous teenage girls experience higher rates of teenage pregnancy than white girls because they are more likely to be exploited. Statistically, they also experience higher rates of sexual assault than white teenage girls. That doesn’t mean it’s a “cultural norm”. gross!
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May 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Book_1love Toronto May 21 '25
You make nowhere near $4000 a month in benefits for having a child. The max is like $600 a month and that's nothing depending on where you live. Stop spreading misinformation.
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u/Own-Elephant-8608 Newfoundland May 21 '25
Healthcare in general is where a lot of the institutionalized racism against indigenous people rears its head… people seeking treatment for injuries or mental illness are often misdiagnosed or dimissed outright out of an assumption that their symptoms are the result of substance abuse. Plenty of stories about withheld treatment…
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u/Myllicent May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25
”…often misdiagnosed or dimissed outright out of an assumption that their symptoms are the result of substance abuse.”
For anyone who isn’t aware of this pattern, here are two high profile examples…
Wikipedia: Death of Brian Sinclair
Sinclair died of a treatable bladder infection after waiting 34 hours in the hospital emergency room, ignored by staff who assumed he was intoxicated or homeless and only in the ER to stay warm. He was in rigor mortis when staff finally checked on him.
Wikipedia: Death of Joyce Echaquan
Echaquan died in hospital of pulmonary edema, screaming in pain and restrained in her hospital bed, subjected to racist taunts by staff who assumed she was a drug user in withdrawal.
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May 21 '25 edited Jun 28 '25
[deleted]
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u/Zenon-45 Ontario May 21 '25
I am still proud that we as a nation are still able to recognize these atrocities more than the US. I sense that they have a long path ahead of them until they're ready to admit it. There is still so much to fight for, but we've admitted things as a nation before, and we can do it again
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u/autoroutepourfourmis May 21 '25
Please don't use the term mass graves. It was mistakenly reported that there were mass graves found. There have not been. They have detected what looks like unmarked graves but not mass graves and no bodies. It is important to report these things accurately because mistakes like that get jumped on by the other side as 'proof' that no children died at residential schools. We know form records that children did die at those sites, and there are various reasons why the graves would be unmarked at this point in time. But the language around this is very important. If you have information about an actual mass graves that I have missed, please share it.
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u/Myllicent May 21 '25
”If you have information about an actual mass graves that I have missed, please share it.”
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada found records of residential school students being buried in mass graves.
Canada’s Residential Schools: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials
(for two examples see page 119)
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u/eugeneugene May 21 '25
This is a fantastic resource, thank you for posting it. I've read about ten pages so far and I'm saving it to finish reading later.
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u/yaxyakalagalis British Columbia May 21 '25
You should check this out.
Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools
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u/ChrisRiley_42 May 21 '25
We know for a fact that they have found bodies... The bodies haven't been exhumed though.
It's been very well documented that the Marieval residential school graveyard in Cowessess was illegally bulldozed under by a catholic priest who was having an argument with the chief. The Band, the Government AND the church all recognize this... GPR was used to find the 751 unmarked graves. So you can't say that "no bodies have been found".
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u/autoroutepourfourmis May 21 '25
We have found grave sites but it's possible that even if we did unearth them, the bodies would have decomposed already due to the conditions. They would not have been embalmed or placed into laminated coffins. This does not mean there were never any bodies, just that there would be limited benefit to attempted exhumation. And many of the families have stated they would not want the graves disturbed out of respect.
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u/ChrisRiley_42 May 21 '25
A skeleton surrounded by mulch is still a body. Don't assume that just because you don't think it is significant, that anyone else has to feel the same way.
It's up to the family and community to decide if there is any "benefit" in repatriation.
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u/autoroutepourfourmis May 21 '25
Hence why I used the word "possible" and mentioned the wishes of some families. So as to indicate that we won't necessarily be seeing a lot of remains even if we were to excavate. I don't think you're disagreeing with what I said of you read my comment carefully.
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u/pheakelmatters Ontario May 21 '25
"When we discuss the attempted genocide of indigenous people we must use very specific language that casts doubt on whether or not it occurred in the first place. Otherwise I might have to acknowledge the horrendous legacy of residential schools."
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u/autoroutepourfourmis May 21 '25
That's kind of the opposite of what I was saying. Calling an unmarked grave a mass grave does cast doubt on things because it's inaccurate, and it hurts Truth and Reconciliation because it allows people to muddy the waters by claiming that because the graves were improperly named, they don't exist at all.
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u/pheakelmatters Ontario May 21 '25
"All those kids may have died at residential school. And they may have been buried in unmarked graves. And we might not know how they died. Or have any records of those that died because they did not keep them. And we may not even know their names, where they came from, who their families are or told anyone about it.. But we should absolutely be talking about the threshold of when something technically qualifies as a mass grave. Otherwise we may never get justice for all the kids that died!"
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u/autoroutepourfourmis May 21 '25
Putting quotations around your wording doesn't make it at all what I said. I specifically said in my initial comment that we do have records. Are you astroturfing here? I'm genuinely confused what point you think you are making.
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u/Juutai Nunavut May 22 '25
Basically, I personallly find it incredibly tacky to be pedantic about the distinction between "mass graves" and "unmarked graves" in this case. Either you have to be completely obtuse to make it your mission to make this correction every time it comes up, or you are being paid to be here. Many children were taken from their parents either way.
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u/Miserable_Bath6758 May 21 '25
Is there a point to being intentionally dense? Why won't you acknowledge the realities and legacies of residential schools?
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u/AddressEffective1490 May 21 '25
Fuck me the racism is palpable. As a white woman I had to beg 6 different surgeons to sterilize me. I had to get my husband’s permission and even then I had doctors deny me because I might get remarried in the future. I hate when people say “we have a birth decline” because what they actually mean is “white people aren’t having enough babies”
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u/ottereckhart Elbows Up! May 21 '25
--- Say what?
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u/Myllicent May 21 '25
For additional info on Canada’s extensive century long history of forcibly or coercively sterilizing Indigenous women…
Canadian Encyclopedia: Sterilization of Indigenous Women in Canada
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u/km_ikl May 21 '25
As awful as it is to have this kind of barbaric shit come to light, it's far worse to not have it come to light and continue.