In the 1960s and 1970s widespread reports of sterilization abuse directed at women of color in the USA emerged. While such cases involved coercive or deceptive surgical sterilizations, new contraceptive technologies that temporarily sterilize women (Norplant and Depo-Provera) were approved for use in the US market by the state in the 1990s. In this study, I offer the concept of sterilization racism to explain the pattern and prevalence of ‘racial’/ethnic disparities in Depo-Provera use among non-sterile US women age 18 to 44. The data used for the statistical analyses come from the 2002 and 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. After adjustment for potential confounders, I find that African American and American Indian women are more likely to use Depo-Provera than European American women. I also include a discussion of the complexities of studying racism with data on ‘racial’/ethnic disparities that were not designed for this purpose.
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