GAO Found 3,406 Sterilizations of Native Women in Four IHS Areas From 1973 to 1976, With Most Consent Forms Out of Compliance
The Fact
A 1976 U.S. General Accounting Office investigation reviewed four of the Indian Health Service's 12 areas — Aberdeen, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City and Phoenix — and counted 3,406 female sterilization procedures from fiscal year 1973 through June 30, 1976. Consent forms were in the files, but GAO found 'most of these forms did not comply with IHS requirements.' IHS also identified 13 violations of a federal moratorium on sterilizing people under 21 or judged mentally incompetent.
What This Means
That's one count, from four of twelve areas, over about three and a half years. The full national number was never measured.
Why It Matters
You'll see claims that 25% to 50% of Native women were sterilized. Those are estimates, not federal counts. The federal record — 3,406 in four areas, with paperwork that didn't meet the government's own rules — is damning enough on its own.
Key Terms
Informed consent: A patient's agreement to a procedure after being told, in words they understand, what it is, its risks, its alternatives — and whether it's permanent.
Sources
U.S. General Accounting Office. Investigation of Allegations Concerning Indian Health Service (HRD-77-3), November 4, 1976. https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-77-3 ; full report https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-77-3.pdf (p. 3; Enclosure I, pp. 18, 22)
National Library of Medicine. Native Voices timeline: "Government study finds Indian Health Service performed unauthorized sterilizations." https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/543.html