Eugenics In The World

Figure 1: Eugenics Propaganda in America

Eugenics in America

     There was a time in the past when the government was allowed to tell people who could and who could not have children. The eugenics movement was the act of the government forcibly sterilizing mentally disabled individuals because they were unsure of how to properly treat them and their specific disabilities (3). If you are confused as to what sterilization is, read further. Sterilization is the medical process of making a person unable to have children. Imagine if your parents were told they were not allowed to have you because the government wasn't sure they could handle you.  As seen in figure 1 it is obvious that the United States was trying to show the people that it is best for the population if mentally disabled patients could not have babies by giving statistics about cost and how often people are born. Just like you believe the information that your teachers give you when learning in the classroom, the people in America in the past believed the information the government was giving to be true because there was no reason not to. 

Eugenics In Germany

     I am sure that you have been taught about the Holocaust and the horrible things that Adolf Hitler and the Nazi's did to the people of Germany during that time, but one of the things you may not have been taught is that eugenics was also used during this time. One of the ways that Hitler decided to treat the people he did not want to be part of the population in Germany was to use eugenics and sterilize them, so they could not make any more humans that were like them (2). What if someone told you that because you had brown hair rather than blonde you weren't allowed to eat at lunch during the school day? This, along with other factors such as religion or race, was the kind of criteria that Hitler and the Nazi's used as a basis for making it impossible for a group of people to have children. 

Eugenics Today

     As hard as it might be to believe in your world today there are different forms of eugenics affecting people nationwide. One of the ways that it happens is through a process called genetic counseling. In genetic counseling, couples who are looking to start a family meet with a counselor to talk about the chance of having a child with a disability due to their genetic makeup. People believe this to be a form of eugenics because following the counseling couples move on to use doctors that create embryos, or cells that will turn into a baby. Occasionally the embryo ends up being one with a genetic disorder. Sometimes when the couple learns that their baby has a genetic disorder they choose to stop the pregnancy. Critics of genetic counseling view this as eugenics because they are choosing to only have a baby that is not mentally or genetically disabled just like the government forced couples to do in the past (1). 

Figure 2: Comparison of White Supremacy to Nazi Germany

     Another way that eugenics is believed to be present in the world today is through the white supremacist movement. The white supremacist movement involves groups of people who think other races, especially the black population, is not a fit population to be present in the country. It is believed that this can eventually lead to another surge of eugenics in the country in order to try and push out the black population. Imagine if you or some of your friends were never born because of the skin color of your parents. An even more real situation would be if in the future you or people you know were told they cannot have children because they are black and the white supremacists have taken over. This becoming a reality may seem like it is completely irrational, but don't you think people alive during the Holocaust thought the same thing? As seen in figure 2 people are beginning to relate the Holocaust to the white supremacy movement happening now. This could be your future and you should be aware of everything happening in the world. To see a video about the comparison of history to eugenics in the world today follow this link.

References

1. Bernal, L., Miguel, R., Bejarno, B., & Jose, R. (2018). Is genetic counseling a form of eugenics?. Revista Ciencias de la Salud, 16(1) 10-26. doi: 10.12804/revistas.urosaria.edu.co/revsalud/a.6475

2. Grodin, M. A., Kelly, J. I., &Miller, e. L. (2018). The Nazi physicians as leaders in eugenics and "euthanasia": lessons for today. American Journal of Public Health, 108(1), 53-57. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304120

3. Stern, A. M. (2001). Eugenic nation: Vol. 17. Faults and frontiers of better breeding in modern America. California: University of California Press.