Eugenics

Eugenics- The study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding.

The history of eugenics seems to be as old as humanity. The philosopher Plato believed that human reproduction should be monitored and controlled by the state. In the 1860’s, influenced by his cousin Charles Darwin’s work On the Origin of Species, Sir Francis Galton proposed to use eugenics to thwart what he believed was a ‘regression to mediocrity’ that the human race was undergoing.
In the early 20th century scientists in America were given grants to study the applicability of eugenics policies and laws. Later, Adolf Hitler would use those American scientists’ work as a pretext to sterilize or exterminate ‘undesirable’ members of society under his control.
With the conclusion of WWII and the trials that brought to light the Nazi’s American eugenic inspiration the study of eugenics fell out of favor with scientists and the public. More recently, with the mapping of the human genome and advances in DNA research eugenics has been vaulted back to the forefront of public conciseness.

Ethical issues and cases could include:
- Implications of genetically screening fetuses for disorders such as mental or physical retardation, autism, heart disease, or blindness. If we can reliably screen for these disorders should we attempt to eliminate them from humanity? If we find a particularly severe disorder prenatally should the fetus be aborted?
- If homosexuality is a genetic condition that is not chosen, then should parents who’s religion does not approve of homosexuality be allowed to screen for a ‘gay gene’ to suppress, if that were to become possible?
- Should parents be allowed to create even slightly genetically altered babies, such as choosing eye color, hair color, or complexion? What effects might this have on the concept of natural selection, or survival of the fittest?

Current laws have by and large not caught up to modern eugenics, especially in regard to DNA and embryonic manipulation.
However, laws passed at the height of eugenics research at the turn of the previous century that actively sought to further the quasi-eugenic concept of “Social Darwinism” by sterilizing undesirables have been overturned and ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.





Laws providing for eugenics through sterilization of undesirables and criminalization of mixed race marriage:

March 09, 1907: The first U.S. eugenic sterilization law was passed by the Indiana legislature. This law allowed for sterilization of "confirmed criminals, idiots, imbeciles, and rapists."
By 1917, fourteen more states followed this example. A variety of "defectives" were forced to undergo sterilization, including epileptics, the mentally ill, those with low IQ scores, and a variety of criminals.

On March 20, 1924 the Virginia Legislature passed two closely related eugenics laws: SB 219, entitled "The Racial Integrity Act" which required that a racial description of every person be recorded at birth, and made marriage between white persons and non-white persons a felony; and SB 281, "An ACT to provide for the sexual sterilization of inmates of State institutions in certain cases", which provided for compulsory sterilization of persons deemed to be "feebleminded," including the "insane, idiotic, imbecile, or epileptic”. Together these laws imposed the practice of "scientific eugenics" in Virginia.

Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927), United States Supreme Court ruling that upheld Virginia’s 1924 statute instituting compulsory sterilization of the mentally retarded "for the protection and health of the state." It was largely seen as an endorsement of negative eugenics—the attempt to improve the human race by eliminating "defectives" from the gene pool.


Cases Overturning the Previous laws:

Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), was a landmark civil rights case in which the United States Supreme Court, by a 9-0 vote, declared Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute, the "Racial Integrity Act of 1924", unconstitutional, thereby overturning Pace v. Alabama (1883) and ending all race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States.

Skinner v. State of Oklahoma, ex. rel. Williamson, 316 U.S. 535 (1942), United States Supreme Court ruling which held that compulsory sterilization could not be imposed as a punishment for a crime.
This case did not outlaw eugenics or even forced sterilization per say, but it did have the effect of discouraging overtly eugenic policies.









The following websites were used to draw information from:


http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=274&invol=200

http://www.oyez.org/cases/1901-1939/1926/1926_292

http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/essay9text.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_Integrity_Act_of_1924

http://atheism.about.com/b/2005/03/09/this-date-in-history-eugenics-laws-in-america.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/05/02/virginia-eugenics.htm

http://www.selectsmart.com/DISCUSS/read.php?33,714374,714374,quote=1

http://www.commondreams.org/views/072100-106.htm