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As someone already mentioned, the sterilizations were forced and known as Eugenics, with good old Indiana being the first in the entire world to enact legislation allowing it. Prisoners, mentally ill, minorities, even people with diabete3s were forcibly sterilized. Towards the 1970s court orders had to be enacted for sterilization, but there were cases where the people were told that they were getting their appendix removed such as a case that happened in Indiana in the 1970s. The mother told the judge that her daughter was sneaking out at night and doing badly in school. The daughter didn't find out until she kept trying to get pregnant with her husband and her mother finally told her.
It wasn't until the 80s or 90s where voluntary sterilization programs started coming about, mainly because forced sterilizations were strongly opposed and viewed as rightly unethical. The voluntary programs were still considered controversial because they were mainly targeted towards minorities and the poor population.
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