The Young Lords Protest Puerto Rican Genocide

Background: The Young Lords was a Puerto Rican civil rights organization modeled after the Black Panthers. Between 1970 and 1976, they published Palante (a contraction of echar pa’lante, meaning “to push forward”), a newspaper that highlighted issues related to the island’s nationalist movement and the oppression of Puerto Ricans and other Latinx people in the United States. This 1970 article condemned the use of sterilization on Puerto Rican women living on the island and in El Barrio, predominantly Puerto Rican neighbors in the U.S. mainland. It was written by Iris Morales Luciano, the Young Lords’ deputy education minister and a strong advocate for women’s rights within the organization. Articles in Palante appeared in both English and Spanish and the unconventional spelling and capitalization (which appeared in the original story) was intended to highlight their criticisms of the United States and racism in the country.

Genocide is being committed against the Puerto Rican Nation through the mass sterilization of Puerto Rican women! In no other nation has sterilization been so prevalent as a means of genocide against an oppressed people. Why Puerto Rican?
First, the united states needs Puerto Rico as a military stronghold to maintain "political stability" and control in the rest of Latin America. Second, Puerto Rico is the fourth largest worldwide consumer of amerikkkan goods and yields massive profits to American capitalists. Also, Puerto Rico supplies fighting men and a cheap labor pool, both necessary to u.s. capitalism. One way to control a nation of vital importance is to limit its population size. The u.s. is doing exactly this through sterilization.

BACK TO 1930

The practice of sterilization in Puerto Rico goes back to the 1930's when doctors pushed it as the only means of contraception. As a result, throughout the island, Puerto Rican women of childbearing age were sterilized. In 1947-1948, 7% of the women were sterilized between 1953-1954, 4 out of every 25 Sisters were sterilized; and by 1965, the number increased to 1 out of every 3 women. This system was practiced on Sisters of all ages. But, since 1965, the trend has been to sterilize women in their early 20's when they have had fewer babies. This is especially true among lower class Sisters where future revolutionaries would come from. Committing sterilization on young Puerto Rican mothers with fewer children means that the u.s. is able to significantly reduce and limit the Puerto Rican population in a short period of time.
Genocide through sterilization is not only confined to the island of Puerto Rico. It is also carried out within the Puerto Rican colony in the u.s. In El Barrio, sterilization is still practiced as a form of contraception among women, especially young Sisters. One out of four sterilized women in El Barrio has the operation done when she's between 20 and 30. But the system justifies the shit saying the Sisters go to Puerto Rico to get it done. Yet the evidence says that over half the Sisters get the operation done right here in New York City and are strongly encouraged by their doctors to do so. Again, sterilization in the early reproductive years of a woman's life limits the Puerto Rican population substantially and permanently.

Estan cometiendo genocidio contra la nacion Puertorriqueña con la esterilizacion de las mujeres Puertorriquenas. En ninguna otra nacion ha sido la esterilizacion tan prevaleciente como forma de genocidio de un pueblo oprimido. Porque a los Puertorriquenos? Primero, los estados unidos necesita a Puerto Rico como base militar para mantener establilidad politica' y control en el resto de america latina. Segundo, Puerto Rico es la cuarta consumidor de mercancias amerikkkanas en el mundo entero y produce tremendas ganancias economicas a los capitalistas amerikkkanos. Tambien, Puerto Rico provee soldados y un almacer de obreros de bajo pago, ambos necesarios para el capitalismo amerikkkano. Una manera de controlar una nacion de importancia vital es limitando la poblacion. 
La practica de esterilizacion en Puerto Rico empezó en los 1930's cuando proovieron esterilizacion como la unica forma de contracepcion. Como resultado, por la isla, mujeres Puertorriquenas de edad de tener ninos fueron esterilizadas. En 1947-1948, 7 por ciento de las mujeres fueron esterilizadas; entre 1953-1954, 4 hermanas de cada 25 fueron esterilizadas; y ya en 1965, el numero habia llegado a una mujer de cada tres esterilizadas!
Este sistema fue forzado encima de nuestras hermanas de todas edades. Pero, desde 1965, la tendencia ha sido de esterilizar las mujeres en sus veintes cuando han tenido menos hijos. Esto existe especialmente entre las hermanas de la clase pobre que es la clase que produce los futuros, revolucionarios. Cometiendo esterilizacion contra jovenes madres Puertorriqueñas con menos hijos quiere decir que los estados unidos puede reducir v limitar significantemente la poblacion Puertorriquena en menos tiempo. Genocidio por esterilizacion no se contiene a la isla de Puerto Rico. Tambien
existe entre la colonia Puertorriqueña en los estados unidos. En el Barrio, esterilizacion todavia se practica como forma contraceptiva entre mujeres traceptiva entre mujeres especialmente en hermanas jovenes. Una de cada cuatro mujeres esterilizadas en el Barrio tiene la operación cuando tiene entre 20 y 30 anos. Pero el sistema justifica su jodienda diciendo que las hermanas van a Puerto Rico a operarse. Pero la evidencia dice que más de la mitad de las hermanas son operadas aquí mismo en Nueva York y son empujadas a hacerlo por los doctores.
Otra vez, esterilización en los primeros años reproductivos de la vida de una mujer controla la populaciòn Puertorriquena substantemente y permanentemente.
 

Source: Iris Morales Luciano, “Puerto Rican Genocide! Puertorriqueñas Esterilizadas,” Palante 2 no. 2 (1970): 8-9.