This kind of stigma remains a real force in American society even if it has moved underground.
By the summer of 1933, the Nazis had Germany firmly in their grip. With this newfound power, the far-right party decided to mould German society in the image of its own making.
A decisive step towards achieving that aim was the introduction of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, or Sterilization Law, that passed in the Reichstag on July 14, 1933. The law stated that people suffering from particular illnesses could be forcibly sterilized in order to prevent the spread of hereditary diseases.
Followers of the eugenics movement believed that the German population could be genetically "improved" and welcomed the law. For the victims of forced sterilization, this violent physical intrusion meant a life without the possibility of having children. Many were heavily traumatized and suffered their entire lives.
The National Socialists hoped to realize the dream of "master race" in which "diseased" and "weak" people had no place.