Her case was critical in turning the tide against the growing eugenics movement[2][3] in the United States prior to World War II.
[4] Ann was the child of Peter Cooper Hewitt and Marion (aka Maryon) Jeanne Andrews.
[6] After realizing what her physicians and her mother had done, both criminal and civil lawsuits were filed in San Francisco court.
[7] The criminal case was ultimately unsuccessful, since at the time, involuntary sterilization of the "feeble minded" was legal in California.
[9] In the end, "a lengthy, exhausting trial resulted in the charges being dropped against the doctors and her mother.