Eugenics

=What is Eugenics?= toc Eugenics is the idea that the quality of a society can be controlled by passing on good, adaptive traits genetically and limiting the passage of maladaptive traits.

It is based on the combined work of Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin. Mendel determined the likelihood a trait would be passed on based on its properties as a recessive or dominant trait and whether it was being passed from both genetic sources. Having done his research largely based on plants, it was not until later that Mendel's theories were applied to humans. The common example of this used in middle school biology is eye color: brown versus blue (B v. b), put into four boxes. There is a 1:4 chance that a child will be born with blue eyes if both parents carry one of each trait. If one parent has blue eyes, there is a 75% chance a child will be born with blue eyes.

Proponents of the Eugenics movement took the Mendelian idea of rates at which physical traits are passed on and applied it to the social ills of society, taking those to also have genetic factors, rather than being a product of other factors, such as socio-economic status, geographic location, race, and sex.

Darwin's Theory of Evolution, specifically his explanation of "Survival of the Fittest," which says that those with stronger, more adaptable traits survive and reproduce, creating off-spring which are more likely to carry desirable traits, and therefor survive and reproduce, is the other half of the scientific basis of "Social Darwinism". These “Social Darwinists” argued that civilization should speed up nature’s effort to weed out the weak and dependent and breed the fittest.

Francis Galton, a cousin of Darwin, coined the term Eugenics based on his cousin work in 1883. The term is based on the Greek //eu//, meaning "good/well", and //-genēs//, meaning "born." During the initial wave of Eugenics, laws were taken up in several European countries and swept across the US. The idea of breeding out all of the social problems inherent in industrialized society, like over population, lower intelligence, poverty, and vice, proved popular in around globe at one time or another.

Prior to the gross crimes against humanity during the Holocaust, Eugenics did have some detractors. Notably, Lester Ward, the founder of the American Sociological Association; Gilbert Keith Chesterton , author of [|Eugenics and Other Evils;]Thomas Hunt Morgan, a Nobel Prize winning Mendelian geneticist; the Catholic Church; and many Women's' Rights organizations.

It is important to note that while most examples brought to mind by the term "Eugenics" are horrible atrocities visited upon vulnerable populations, eugenics (although no longer referred to as such) also covers some very positive current practices, such as DNA testing for genetic markers relating to chronic illnesses like breast cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, and Tay-Sachs disease. Prenatal screening for life-threatening conditions also falls under the broad umbrella of modern eugenics. It could be said that eugenics, when exercised by an individual for their own well-being, is a positive force. It is when eugenics is used by people in power to limit the choices and autonomy of a vulnerable group--on behalf of the greater good, that it becomes a gross violation of human rights. =How has Eugenics effected different groups:=

Eugenics in the United States
Although, when most people think of Eugenics, they think of the Holocaust, the US spearheaded Eugenics as a course of legislation.

Eugenics and People of Color in the United States
One of the groups in the United State that was and continues to be affected by Eugenics are people in community of color, particularly those involved in the judicial system and those who have lower socio-economic status.

Eugenics and People with Disabilities
Historically, people with disabilities--encompassed by all of the changing definitions over the last 150 years, have been disproportionally targeted by Eugenics movements and legislation.

Eugenics Internationally
Eugenics has happened all over the world and has looked different in every locale.

What does Eugenics look like today?
Think Eugenics a thing of the past? Guess again.