in 1924, lawmakers passed the virginia eugenic al cal sterilization act. according to vandegrift, a group of officials would hold meetings to determine who would be sterilized. >> the doctor would talk about their physical condition, the psychologist would talk about how they did on the psychological testing. the nurse would talk about what they were doing on the unit, what they could do. everybody had input. it was just disgusting. it was a general decision. if anybody opposed they would speak up about. >> more than 30 states passed similar laws leading to approximately 65,000 forced sterilizations nationwide over several decades. the virginia law remained on the books until 1979. >> our executive producer jay la monica guided that exclusive look at that tragic moment in virginia's history and he led investigations that crossed our borders to expose the exploitation of workers, the cheap labor many of our luxury goods depend on. tens of thousands are at work each day in mexican border towns in often frightening conditions. "america tonight's" christof put