As the report, entitled “Opportunities for Employment, Education and Training” would have it, Puerto Rico’s key problem is, and has always been, unemployment.Figures from different studies give a general picture of the rate of sterilization of Puerto Rican women over the past four decades.”

“In 1947-48, Paul K. Hatt, in a study of 5,257 ever-married women 15 years old or over, found that 6.6 per cent had been sterilized. A figure more or less equal (6.9 per cent) was put forward in 1948 by Emilio Cofresi from studies of women who were clients of various programs of the Department of Health in Puerto Rico.

In an island-wide survey carried out by Hill, Stycos and Back in 1953-54, the prevalence of female sterilization of ever-married women 20 years old or over was estimated at 16.5 per cent.

In 1965 the Puerto Rican Department of Health carried out an island-wide study on the relationship between cancer of the uterus and female sterilization. Although the Department of Health says no link between cancer and sterilization was substantiated, it did discover that 34% of Puerto Rican women between the ages of 20-49 years were sterilized.

The number of women sterilized in the same age group rose to 35.3% in 1968 according to a study by the Puerto Rican demographer Dr. lose Vasquez Calzada.

The incidence of sterilization in Puerto Rico is the highest in the world. India and Pakistan, for example, which have public sterilization programs, have an estimated sterilization of 5% and 3% respectively.

” Under the heading of “organization and focuses of family planning”, the November report estimates the female population of child-bearing age outside of San Juan to be 485,948. Agreeing with other studies on the astounding figure of 33% for the number of Puerto Rican women of child-bearing age that have already been sterilized, the report goes on to say “in other words, of the 485,948 women of reproductive age living in Puerto Rico, excepting the area of San Juan, 160,363 are sterilized. This leaves a potential clientele of 325,585 women . . .”

The women of San Juan are to be handled through a “model project” controlled by the School of Public Health of the University of Puerto Rico.

The plan then, involves the entire population of Puerto Rican women of child-bearing age in its scope, and the primary method of birth control? What it has always been in Puerto Rico -sterilization.”

This brief summation of several avenues of attacking overpopulation in a developing nation offers us a not so wholesome picture of the reality that caused Puerto Rico’s population to stabilize over time, and should give us pause when considering the efforts that might yet help bring Haiti’s population more in line with her capacity to carry herself in future. Today, for instance, there are more Puerto Rican descendants in the mainland US than in Puerto Rico. Sadly, I do not envision our nation being as forthcoming in its immigration policy vis-a-vis Haiti, or for that matter with any other nation today or in the future. I do support all efforts that bring together people willing to engage this serious problem, and believe that much work and effort lies ahead in managing the great tragedy that has befallen Haiti.

My thanks to you O’Neil for replying to my post.

The same is true of the occupation of the island by the Haitians–an occupation still deeply resented by the Dominicans. Few Dominicans recognize the help that Haiti provided to the DR in its efforts to restore its independence after the Spanish recolonization.

Thanks for bringing up these points!
Dan