Heirs of North Carolina eugenics victims won’t appeal ruling

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Relatives of victims of North Carolina’s sterilization program that operated until the 1970s have decided not to appeal a ruling that bars them from inheriting compensation payments.

Attorney Elizabeth Haddix of the UNC Center for Civil Rights told the Winston-Salem Journal the relatives have decided not to appeal a decision last month by the state Court of Appeals.

The court ruled eugenics victims seeking state compensation had to be alive on June 30, 2013, for their heirs to qualify for payment. That date was set in the compensation law.

About 7,600 people were sterilized under the program, which ended in 1974. At least 213 victims are considered to have qualified for compensation. They received two checks. A final payment is to be made after all appeals have been decided.