Sterilization of the Deaf took place from about the 1920s to the end of World War II. The idea behind it was to racially cleanse Germany, and Nazi-controlled Europe. Hitler and many others feared that deafness was a hereditary gene that could be passed on from mother or father to the child. With this belief brought on the Law of Sterilization and forced abortions. This had a psychological impact on those who went through the ordeal.
According to Crying Hands by Horst Biesold, many of the women who volunteered to be sterilized showed a significant number of them suffered from psychological distress afterwards. Many of the deaf felt that their lives became poorer in the hopes and dreams without children. Also many felt the anxiety of the idea of growing old and not having children there to love and care for them. It also left them feeling isolated and lonely. About 12% of male victims between 13 and 18 tended to report the mental suffering from sterilization whereas only about 9% of females. Many of the victims fell into a state of depression from being uprooted and forced to be sterilized under brutal circumstances. Many deaf people lost relationships because of the sterilization. Many fiancés would break up with them because they had what was called the “Hitler Cut”.
A questionnaire was given to about 1215 survivors from the sterilization and the results from 3 of the 25 questions were as follows:
Before some women were sterilized they went through a forced abortion sometimes more than once. This was the same in some cases with sterilization. These women faced these side effects at different intensities: regret, anger, guilty feelings, shame, sense of loneliness or isolation, loss of self-confidence, insomnia or nightmares, relationship issues, suicidal thoughts and feelings, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. The women already felt isolated being deaf, and then they were forced to give up their child with no say. During this period many experienced a high suicide rate, if they were already killed by the SS. Others still feeling extremely lonely today without having children and, it is hard for them to see others with children.