RALEIGH, NC -- A House committee has overwhelmingly approved a bill to provide compensation for victims of North Carolina's forced sterilization program after hearing a heartfelt plea from the legislator who led the fight for more than a decade.
Rep. Larry Womble, D-Forsyth, asked the committee Tuesday to put North Carolina on the right side of history and approve the bill. It would provide $50,000 in compensation to living victims of forced sterilization. So far, the state has identified 132 victims, of whom 118 are still alive.
The committee approved the bill with only a few legislators voting against it.
Womble is making his first appearance at the Legislature since the wreck in December. He says the bill separates North Carolina from the rest of the country.