Editing Reproductive rights (section)

====United States====
{{Further|Eugenics in the United States|Sterilization law in the United States}}
Forced sterilization in the United States was practiced starting with the 19th century. The United States during the [[Progressive era]], ca. 1890 to 1920, was the first country to concertedly undertake compulsory sterilization programs for the purpose of [[eugenics]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Iredale | first1 = Rachel | year = 2000 | title = Eugenics And Its Relevance To Contemporary Health Care | journal = Nursing Ethics | volume = 7 | issue = 3| pages = 205–14| doi = 10.1177/096973300000700303 | pmid = 10986944 | s2cid = 37888613 }}</ref> [[Thomas C. Leonard]], professor at Princeton University, describes American eugenics and sterilization as ultimately rooted in economic arguments and further as a central element of Progressivism alongside wage controls, restricted immigration, and the introduction of [[pension]] programs.<ref name="Leonard2005">{{cite journal | last1 = Leonard | first1 = Thomas C. | year = 2005 | title = Retrospectives: Eugenics and Economics in the Progressive Era | url = https://www.princeton.edu/%7Etleonard/papers/retrospectives.pdf | journal = [[Journal of Economic Perspectives]] | volume = 19 | issue = 4 | pages = 207–224 | doi = 10.1257/089533005775196642 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161218214328/http://www.princeton.edu/~tleonard/papers/retrospectives.pdf | archive-date = 18 December 2016 | doi-access = free }}</ref> The heads of the programs were avid proponents of eugenics and frequently argued for their programs, which achieved some success nationwide, mainly in the first half of the 20th century.