From 12-1pm on Wednesday, October 20th, the Center for Access to Justice, Center for Law Health & Society, and the Immigration Clinic are partnering to bring you a virtual discussion with Prof. Paul Lombardo and immigration attorney Sarah Owings (J.D. '07) about Belly of the Beast, a documentary that features intimate accounts from incarcerated women of color who were subject to coercive sterilizations and reproductive injustice while detained.
Illegal sterilizations in U.S. women’s prisons have been banned for nearly 40 years. However, these unethical practices have continued in some facilities, sometimes shielded by the very officials and doctors charged with protecting the health of those who are incarcerated. These practices echo past advocates of eugenics who believed they could improve future generations by restricting reproduction of people they believed to be unfit: the poor, uneducated, mentally or physically disabled, minority, allegedly criminal, or otherwise undesirable. This session will feature clips from Belly of the Beast, a film that follows a woman involuntarily sterilized while in a California prison and a human rights lawyer who fought to expose this reproductive injustice. Professor Paul Lombardo, an expert who consulted on the film, will explore themes of this modern-day eugenics, the role of systemic racism, and the fight for rights and reparations for victims. Immigration attorney Sarah Owings will discuss recent similar atrocities against immigrants held at a south Georgia detention center, now closed after a whistle-blower brought these practices to light.
Resources
- Belly of the Beast (website with trailer and information on the film)
- Belly of the Beast (access the full film via the GSU Law Library)
You can also watch the film on webex on Thursday, Oct. 14 from 12-1:30pm or 7-8:30pm in advance of the discussion. Viewing the film is optional.
Register to attend the discussion at law.gsu.edu/clhs.