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According to Gerald Schwartz, "Pierce was a longtime student of eugenics."<ref name=schwartz,p.371/> Previously in the late 1910s, when a member of the state legislature, Pierce twice supported legislation calling for the sterilization of the "unfit." His support for eugenics stemmed from his knowledge in animal breeding. Schwartz writes that when Gov. Pierce signed into law the 1923 sterilization act, it may have made Oregon the first state in the nation to institute sterilization into practice.<ref name=schwartz,p.371/>

According to Gerald Schwartz, "Pierce was a longtime student of eugenics."<ref name=schwartz,p.371/> Previously in the late 1910s, when a member of the state legislature, Pierce twice supported legislation calling for the sterilization of the "unfit." His support for eugenics stemmed from his knowledge in animal breeding. Schwartz writes that when Gov. Pierce signed into law the 1923 sterilization act, it may have made Oregon the first state in the nation to institute sterilization into practice.<ref name=schwartz,p.371/>

Pierce's eugenic advocacy was further motivated by the activism of his third wife Cornelia, who along with Bethine Owens-Adair supported the 1923 sterilization bill.<ref name=mccoy,pp.409-10/> When he was later elected to the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from the state's 2nd congressional district, Pierce introduced legislation to permit the dissemination of contraception literature via mail; such efforts to modify the Comstock Act were praised by [[Margaret Sanger]]. McCoy states of the Pierces' motives:<ref>"The Paradox of Oregon's Progressive Politics," p. 411.</ref>

Pierce's eugenic advocacy was further motivated by the activism of his third wife Cornelia, who along with Bethine Owens-Adair supported the 1923 sterilization bill.<ref name=mccoy,pp.409-10/> When he was later elected to the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from the state's 2nd congressional district, Pierce introduced legislation to permit the dissemination of contraception literature via mail; such efforts to modify the Comstock Act were praised by [[Margaret Sanger]]. McCoy states of the Pierces' motives:<ref>"The Paradox of Oregon's Progressive Politics," p. 411.</ref>

{{cquote|Both Cornelia and Walter advocated for sterilization of the unfit and the creation of a fit white race through birth control. Both sides of eugenics rest on the premise that only those deemed fit to propagate the race should be allowed to live or procreate. Unlike the radical democratic populism that Pierce backed through most of his life, his adherence to the tenets of eugenics exposed a side of politics that elevated certain groups into a position of political and economic power based on their race and physical capabilities.|||"The Paradox of Oregon's Progressive Politics," p. 411}}

{{cquote|Both Cornelia and Walter advocated for sterilization of the unfit and the creation of a fit white race through birth control. Both sides of eugenics rest on the premise that only those deemed fit to propagate the race should be allowed to live or procreate. Unlike the radical democratic populism that Pierce backed through most of his life, his adherence to the tenets of eugenics exposed a side of politics that elevated certain groups into a position of political and economic power based on their race and physical capabilities.|||"The Paradox of Oregon's Progressive Politics," p. 411}}