ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to inform the public and its government representatives about practices which have caused the involuntary sterilization of Chicanas. With respect to Chicanas an additional element, lack of English fluency, deserves considerable attention. To emphasize the gravity of coerced sterilization, the problems which confront Chicana hospital patients are considered. A condensed clinical explanation of the tragic circumstances forced upon Chicanas must yield to a graphic narrative of personal harm. Coupled with the unauthorized practices of medical personnel, the government's permeation of the entire sterilization process has served to deprive Chicanas of the right to procreate. Cultural values vary from individual to individual, but among Chicanas a pervasive set of beliefs are still given great weight. Among Chicanos and Chicanas the purpose of marriage continues to be, for the most part, the bearing and rearing of children.
