Film Screening: No más bebes

The film No Más Bebés (Directed by Renee Tajima Pena) tells the story of Mexican immigrant mothers who sued county doctors, the state and the U.S. government after they were sterilized while giving birth at Los Angeles... [ view full abstract ]

The film No Más Bebés (Directed by Renee Tajima Pena) tells the story of Mexican immigrant mothers who sued county doctors, the state and the U.S. government after they were sterilized while giving birth at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center during the 1970s. This year marks the 40th anniversary of their landmark civil rights lawsuit, Madrigal v. Quilligan, asserting that a woman’s right to bear a child is guaranteed under the Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.

In the film the unfolding drama of Madrigal v. Quilligan is told through multiple perspectives of key players at the center of the story. Six of the sterilized mothers agreed to be filmed, and for the first time since the trial, the defendant doctors also agreed to be interviewed as well as others involved in preparing and supporting the case. This will be the first opportunity for an academic audience to view the film. This case coincided with a virtual epidemic of sterilizations of poor women at public facilities across the U.S., and through programs tied to American foreign aid in developing countries. This of course fits into a much longer history of the U.S. government and medical systems utilizing Latina/o populations as a field for reproductive experimentation and coercion (as documented by the oft-used documentary La Operacion and the work of Iris Lopez). Our hope is to provide context and resources for academics who might teach this topic.

In showing the film (running time is 67 minutes) and offering short panelist comments we will ultimately connect these historical events to contemporary struggles for reproductive justice within Latina/o communities.

Participants:

Elena R. Gutierrez, PhD (Moderator and Commentator)
Associate Professor, Gender and Women’s Studies and Latin American and Latino Studies
University of Illinois, Chicago and Academic Consultant, No Mas Bebes
Role: Will provide academic and historical context of the film and provide more general comparative resources for those who might teach histories of sterilization abuse and population control in Latina/o communities.

Virginia Espino, PhD, Producer of No Mas Bebes and historian at the UCLA Center for Oral History Research
Role: Will discuss the process of research and production for the film, as well as current public response.

Plaintiff, Madrigal v. Quilligan (to be invited after proposal has been selected)
Role: Will discuss her own personal experiences at Los Angeles County Medical Center, her involvement with the legal case on behalf of the women who were sterilized and the film.

Laura Jimenez, Executive Director, California Latinas for Reproductive Justoce
Role: Will highlight current possibilities for education and organizing and policy development around reproductive justice issues in Latina/o communities