SM 14 — ADDRESS FORCED STERILIZATION POLICY

SENATEA MEMORIAL 14REQUESTING 57THE THINDIAN LEGISLATURE-AFFAIRS STATEDEPARTMENT AND THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO STUDY AND DEVELOP A STATEWIDE PLAN OF ACTION TO ADDRESS THE FORMER GOVERNMENT POLICY OF FORCED OR COERCED STERILIZATION OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND OTHER WOMEN OF COLOR IN NEW MEXICO -AND SECONDTO SESSION,LAY 2026THE INTRODUCEDGROUNDWORK BYFOR LindaA M.STATE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION, A MEMORIAL TO VICTIMS OF FORCED OR COERCED STERILIZATION AND STATE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE INHUMANITY OF THE GRIEVOUS POLICY.

LópezWHEREAS, between 1907 and Shannon2018, D.Indigenous women and other women of color across the United States, including in New Mexico, were subjected to forced or coerced sterilizations without their free, prior and informed consent, often through the federal bureau of Indian affairs and its contracted health care or the bureau's successor, the Indian health service and its direct services and purchased-referred care, which includes physicians and other health care providers, private practices, clinics and institutions;

Pintoand WHEREAS, investigations in the 1970s revealed that between twenty-five and Antoinettefifty Sedillopercent Lopezof Indigenous women of childbearing age had been sterilized, with some of the highest concentrations of procedures occurring in the Indian health service regions of Albuquerque and Angelthe M.broader SM 14 Page 1 southwest;

Charley and Cindy Nava 8 10 A MEMORIAL REQUESTING THE INDIAN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO STUDY AND DEVELOP A STATEWIDE PLAN OF ACTION TO ADDRESS THE FORMER GOVERNMENT POLICY OF FORCED OR COERCED STERILIZATION OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND OTHER WOMEN OF COLOR IN NEW MEXICO AND TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR A STATE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION, A MEMORIAL TO VICTIMS OF FORCED e t 17 OR COERCED STERILIZATION AND STATE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE w l n d 18 INHUMANITY OF THE GRIEVOUS POLICY.

= = 19 a l i a e r 20 WHEREAS, between 1907 and 2018, Indigenous women and other a t m m 21 women of color across the United States, including in New d r e 22 Mexico, were subjected to forced or coerced sterilizations c e s k 23 without their free, prior and informed consent, often through e a n b 24 u [ the federal bureau of Indian affairs and its contracted health care or the bureau's successor, the Indian health service and .232946.2 its direct services and purchased-referred care, which includes physicians and other health care providers, private practices, clinics and institutions;

and WHEREAS, investigations in the 1970s revealed that between twenty-five and fifty percent of Indigenous women of childbearing age had been sterilized, with some of the highest concentrations of procedures occurring in the Indian health service regions of Albuquerque and the broader southwest;

Connie Pinkerman-Uri (Choctaw/Cherokee), have documented widespread violations of medical ethics and human rights, including sterilizations performed on girls and women under duress or without being given full information about the sterilization procedure and its consequences, or even without any permission e t 17 being sought;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, these acts constitute grave violations of = = 19 a l fundamental human rights, including the rights to health, i a e r 20 bodily autonomy, family and freedom from torture or cruel, a t m m 21 inhuman or degrading treatment, as recognized under the d r e 22 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the c e s k 23 Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women e a n b 24 adopted by the United Nations general assembly and the Rome u [ Statute of the International Criminal Court, which classifies .232946.2 - 2 - forced sterilization as a crime against humanity;

and WHEREAS, New Mexico, as a state with a majority-minority SM 14 Page 2 population and a deep legacy of Indigenous leadership, bears a moral and historical responsibility to confront this unacknowledged chapter of United States and state history;

and WHEREAS, the establishment of a New Mexico memorial to the e t 17 victims of forced or coerced sterilization and the creation of w l n d 18 a truth and reconciliation commission would make New Mexico the = = 19 a l first state in the nation to formally investigate, acknowledge i a e r 20 and redress the full scope of these violations;

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, Indigenous women leaders, advocates and d r e 22 survivors, alongside scholars and health practitioners, are c e s k 23 organizing to develop a Native American-led framework for e a n b 24 culturally grounded reproductive justice and trauma-informed u [ care to ensure such violations never occur again;

and .232946.2 - 3 - WHEREAS, in 2025, during the United Nations permanent forum on the rights of Indigenous peoples, the American Indian movement-west delegation met with Dr.

Barume, the United Nations special rapporteur SM 14 Page 3 on the rights of Indigenous peoples, to raise the issue of forced sterilization of Native American women and to call for a United Nations global study on the scale and scope of these crimes;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the Indian affairs department and the commission on the status of women be requested to conduct a e t 17 comprehensive study into the history, scope and continuing w l n d 18 impacts of forced and coerced sterilization of Indigenous women = = 19 a l and other women of color in New Mexico;

and i a e r 20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study:

a t m m 21 A.

identify all known and potential cases of forced d r e 22 or coerced sterilization conducted within New Mexico through c e s k 23 United States Indian health service facilities and contracted e a n b 24 physicians and other hospitals and clinics;

u [ B.

gather survivor testimony using trauma-informed .232946.2 - 4 - and culturally safe protocols, in partnership with Indigenous-Indigenous-focused focused and Indigenous-community-led SM 14 Page 4 organizations;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department and the commission be requested to seek the advice and assistance of victims and family members of victims of forced or coerced sterilization, historians, social and health services practitioners and others knowledgeable about the treatment by government employees and agents against Indigenous women and other women of color and trauma-informed and culturally sensitive protocols to be used when discussing such treatment e t 17 with victims and their families;

and w l n d 18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that upon completion of the study, = = 19 a l the department and commission be requested to present their i a e r 20 findings and recommendations to the governor and the a t m m 21 legislature no later than December 31, 2027, including d r e 22 proposals for:

c e s k 23 A.

the establishment of a New Mexico truth and e a n b 24 reconciliation commission on the forced or coerced u [ sterilization of Indigenous women and other women of color;

.232946.2 - 5 - B.

the creation of a statewide Native American-led SM 14 Page 5 reproductive justice and reproductive sovereignty program focused on culturally grounded health, education and healing services;

eSM t14 17Page - 6 -25 w l n d 18 = = 19 a l i a e r 20 a t m m 21 d r e 22 c e s k 23 e a n b 24 u [ .232946.2