CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina officials have tracked down less than three dozen of the thousands of residents forced to undergo sterilizations between 1929 and 1974.
The Charlotte Observer reports Sunday that state officials believe at least 1,500 of the 7,600 people sterilized under a state program are still alive. Gov. Bev Perdue created the N.C. Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation last year.
The newspaper reports only 34 files have been matched to living survivors or descendants of the dead.
North Carolina officials are considering compensating survivors. A task force Perdue created in March is supposed to figure out possible cash payments. It is expected to make its recommendation in February.
The Eugenics Board approved sterilizations for people who suffered from mental illness, epilepsy and those with low intelligence.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
