Document 12

• This law was revised into document 12 in 1974 in West Virginia. According to this document, who had the power to give permission for sterilization of people deemed mentally incompetent?
• Evaluate and list possible economic or political motives for this law.
• What other historical events surrounded a nation attempting to eradicate certain characteristics believed to be transmitted through genetics?
• What are some reasons you think that a government would support sterilization?
• This law was not repealed until 2013. What feelings do you have about legal control of health matters in individuals?

Document 11

• Can you recall other events that involved medical doctors infecting people with diseases without their knowledge to do research? If so, explain.
• Should medical testing on minors be allowed without consent of the child? What about mentally ill people. Explain your stance.
• Why do you think that this testing on the children occurred?
• Put yourselves in the position of the parents of the children. If your child had mental deficiencies, would you institutionalize your children if you did not have prior knowledge of the grim realities that occurred at this institution? What would you do if you saw your family member deteriorate in a facility like the one described?
• Do you think that these conditions could still be occurring in institutions in 2014? Why or why not?

Document 10

• What role do you think the person who wrote this fulfilled in the context of the institution?
• If you were to witness  the scene described in the excerpt, what would your reaction be to the children? What would your reaction to the attendants be?
• Do you believe it is morally acceptable to sedate children? Is their a situation that it would be acceptable. Explain your stance.
• Do you think the attendants could justify tying their children to their beds with bed sheets or shoe laces? Explain your stance.
• What parallels can you draw from the children’s treatment to torture?

Document 9

• From the way that this excerpt is written, what can you insinuate about the person who wrote this?
• What parallels can you draw from this man's treatment from the attendants to other institutions?

"I was a mental incompetent, but like many others in a similar position I was both by antecedents and training a gentleman."

•  Think of this quote from the man's perspective. Do you think that people who are deemed mentally ill are any less a gentleman, or a person than those who are not? Explain why or why not.
• Is their justification for an attendant to treat someone who is considered mentally incompetent differently than someone who is considered "sane?" Explain.
• Are there circumstances that you believe that people should receive inferior treatment than the general population? Explain your reasoning for why or why not.

Document 8

• How would you describe the emotions of the people who are speaking in the interview?
• The surgical instrument is being described as an "ice pick." What are the reactions of the individuals in the interview to the surgical instrument?
• What can you infer about this procedure from the lack of medical terms that are used in the description?
• How do you think a patient would feel if they heard this procedure described to them before it occurred?
• Hypothesize who and what this procedure is for.

Document 7

• Who do you think the writer of this excerpt is? What do you think the profession of the writer is?
• What is the writer of this excerpt advocating?
• What gender do you think the author of this excerpt is? Why?
• What is sterilization?
• Do you think the concept of sterilization was popular in the early 1900's?
• What is the perspective of the author? What is their rational?
• Who do you think would be the candidates for sterilization?

Document 6

• Describe some similarities and differences between Document 3 and Document 6.
• What reasons might some of the men be in straight-jackets?
• From the appearance of the age of this photo, is there anything that seems out off place for the time period?
• Why do you think the photo was taken?
• What do you think the men in the photo were thinking when this photo was taken?