October 17, 2018

More than 100 deaf and hard of hearing people were forced to undergo sterilization operations and/or to get abortions under the former Eugenic Protection Act (1948-1996), Akahata learned on October 16.

Early this year, it was revealed that with the abuse of the law, forced sterilization surgeries were performed on persons with disabilities and other disorders.

Following the revelation, the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) between March and September conducted a fact-finding survey through its 47 affiliate organizations across Japan. Currently, the survey found that 109 deaf people (26 men and 83 women) were victims of such operations. As JFD decided to continue investigating the matter, the number of victims will probably increase.

Commenting on the survey results, JFD said to Akahata, “It is impossible to bypass the fact that deaf people were deprived of the right to bear and raise children.” The federation plans to set up a task force to deal with this matter in November. It also seeks to join hands with other disabled people’s organizations and a lawyers’ group working on this issue.

Past related articles:
> Forced sterilization victims sue gov't [May 18, 2018]
> Bipartisan parliamentary league formed to help victims of forced eugenic sterilization [March 8, 2018]