Skinner v. Oklahoma
United States Supreme Court
316 U.S. 535 (1942)
Relevant factsFree
Oklahoma's Habitual Criminal Sterilization Act authorized forced sterilization of anyone convicted three times of felonies involving moral turpitude, but exempted comparable repeat offenders like embezzlers; Skinner (defendant), convicted three times of theft-related felonies, was ordered sterilized after a jury found the procedure would not harm his health.
IssueFree
Whether a statute that allows for the forced sterilization of persons deemed to be "habitual criminals" violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.