New Mexico Opens State Investigation Into Forced Sterilizations of Native Americans

Native American women across McKinley County are now within the scope of a statewide investigation after New Mexico disclosed a formal probe into historical forced and coerced sterilizations on Feb. 21, 2026. The investigation charges the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department and the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women under House Memorial 32 to identify cases that occurred in the state, gather survivor testimony, and deliver findings to the governor and Legislature by Dec. 31, 2027.

House Memorial 32, as described in legislative reporting, directs the two agencies to identify all cases of forced or coerced sterilization in New Mexico; gather survivor testimony; evaluate availability of reproductive health services for women of color; and recommend state actions to prevent future abuses. The memorial also asks officials to explore creating a reproductive sovereignty program “focused on culturally grounded health, education and healing services,” and to develop a public memorial and formal acknowledgment of the “inhumanity of the grievous policy.”

The probe follows long-standing national allegations that during the 1970s the Indian Health Service sterilized “thousands of women” without their full and informed consent, depriving them of the opportunity to start or grow families. Associated Press reporting republished by regional outlets disclosed the state-level investigation on Feb. 21, 2026 and cited those historical claims. Sarah Deer, a professor at the University of Kansas School of Law who has spoken in support of the memorial, said the action is “long overdue.”

Legislative movement around the memorial stretches back to the 2025 session, when the resolution was introduced, and the proposal advanced in the New Mexico House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee, according to Source New Mexico reporting. State Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo), named as a sponsor, urged lawmakers to reckon with the past, saying, “It’s important for New Mexico to understand the atrocities that took place within the borders of our state.” Legislative filings and committee records show the memorial would also lay groundwork for a separate healing commission and official acknowledgment of harms that advocates say continue to haunt Native families.

Experts and advocates have already been involved in committee discussions. ICT News reported that Keely Badger, described as an international human rights attorney specializing in Indigenous women’s rights, joined a meeting as an expert. IC Magazine and ICT News have further noted that, if carried out as written, New Mexico “would become the first state in the nation” to launch such a formal probe focused on sterilizations of Indigenous women, even as other states have pursued related actions such as Vermont’s 2023 truth and reconciliation commission and California’s 2024 reparations program.

For McKinley County the investigation means state officials will be conducting a statewide case identification and testimony-gathering process that could reach local clinics and families; the legislative mandate requires a final study and presentation to the Legislature and governor by Dec. 31, 2027, with recommendations on memorialization, education, and culturally grounded healing services.