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Courts & Law
Volokh Conspiracy Marks 99th Anniversary of Buck v. Bell Decision
Buck v. Bell upheld compulsory sterilization laws and remains a touchstone in debates about constitutional limits on state power over bodily autonomy.
The facts · bedrock
The Volokh Conspiracy blog at Reason marked the anniversary of Buck v. Bell, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on May 2, 1927. The post is part of a recurring series noting dates in Supreme Court history. It links to a video introduction on personal liberty in the Progressive Era.
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Reason
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How it's being framed
Same facts, different stories. We name the frame instead of pretending neutrality.
Anniversary-of-infamy frame
"A short notice marking the day the Supreme Court blessed compulsory sterilization in Buck v. Bell, treating the decision as a notorious low point worth remembering rather than celebrating."
Progressive Era critique frame
"The case is presented as the logical endpoint of Progressive Era jurisprudence, where elastic notions of personal liberty gave way to the state's authority to manage and improve its population through coercive means."