Answer
The Michigan Board of Health was responsible for enacting authorization to sterilize those deemed'mentally defective'. The board was headed by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who was a strong proponent of eugenics. He believed that sterilization was necessary to prevent the spread of mental illness and other undesirable traits. The board's decision to sterilize those deemed'mentally defective' was controversial, and it was eventually overturned by the courts.