Buck v. Bell: The Supreme Court Case That Inspired Hitler’s Eugenics Nightmare. In 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that states could forcibly sterilize “undesirables” like Carrie Buck—a young woman falsely labeled “feeble-minded” for being poor and pregnant out of wedlock. Justice Holmes’ infamous line? “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.” We unpack this dark chapter of American eugenics, how it greenlit 70,000+ forced sterilizations nationwide, and its chilling global ripple: Nazis modeled their 1933 sterilization law after it, citing Buck in Nuremberg defenses to justify 400,000 procedures and pave the way for the Holocaust. In plain English, discover the “science” that wasn’t, the human cost, and why this ruling—never overturned—still haunts reproductive rights today. Essential for law students, history buffs, or anyone asking: How did America export eugenics to Hitler?
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