The “Science” Of Eugenics
The truth about the science of eugenics is that there is no
science to eugenics. What passed for scientific method in the eugenics movement
is almost laughable now; if it were not so disturbing. Eugenicists were trying
to explain complex human behaviors based on second hand accounts and in some
cases heresy.
Researchers were often unable to interview more than one or
two generations of a family, due to mortality. This meant that information
about previous generations had to come from the accounts of children,
grandchildren and friends. In some cases accounts were taken from neighbors and
acquaintances. These shoddy methods of gathering information are among just a
few of the factors that made the eugenics movement more of a witchhunt than a
science.
The research methods used in eugenics were based largely on
the work of Gregor Johann Mendel. Mendel was a 19th century priest and a
scholar. His scientific work centered on heredity traits in pea plants. Mendel
made many discoveries and set several benchmarks in the field. Peas, though,
are far less complex than human beings.
Eugenics research attempted to explain complex human
conditions such as schizophrenia and manic depression by blaming a single gene.
Researchers continually tried to fit the information gathered into Mendelian
templates. The theory was that if the "defective" gene could be
identified then it could be bred out of the bloodline. Though, instead of
breeding the "defective" genes out of the bloodline most eugenicists
preferred sterilization.
A lack of clearly defined terms was also a problem the movement
faced. Terms like "feeblemindedness," "defective" and
"degenerate" were among some of the broader terms. Researchers never
took the time to define what each of the terms meant and what characteristics
were associated with them. Instead the subjects, or, more appropriately,
victims, were diagnosed and labeled on an individual basis. Do to a clearly
defined terminology base, just about anyone who was disliked or fell out of
favor could be diagnosed as "feebleminded" or an "imbecile."
The technology that is available today for tracking genetic
movement far surpasses anything available to eugenicists in the early 20th
century. Instead of DNA tags and advanced gene tracking software they depended
almost solely of visibly observable features. Skull measurements, hunched
backs, poor hygiene and laziness were among the symptoms that were used to
classify "defective" people.
The US’ Surprising
Eugenics Programs Revealed
By Dr. Mercola
When most people
think of eugenics, the practice of "improving" the hereditary
qualities of a race by controlled, selective breeding, they think of Nazi
Germany and their attempts to exterminate certain ethnic groups. But not only
did the practice begin long before World War II, and end much later, it also
was not confined to Nazi Germany. In fact, eugenics was widely practiced in
many countries, including in the United States as recently as the 1980s.
According to the North Carolina Governor's Eugenics Compensation Task Force
Preliminary Report:
"The concept of eugenics was
created in the late 1800s by British scientist Sir Francis Galton. The mindset
at that time was to use genetic selection used in breeding thoroughbreds and
other animals to create a class of people who were free of inferior traits.
Indiana became the first state in the nation to pass a eugenics law in
1907."
Most U.S. States Had Sterilization Programs
In all, 33 states
operated sterilization
programs during the 20th century, at first targeting mostly people in mental
institutions. As the years went by, the definition of what was "unfit to
procreate" expanded to include not only the mentally ill but also
alcoholics, people on welfare, people deemed “feeble-minded,” people with
epilepsy, victims of rape, blind or deaf people, and criminals.
It's estimated that 65,000 Americans were sterilized under
such programs, most often without their consent or knowledge. This may sound
incredulous, but at the height of the sterilization program in North Carolina
even social workers could make recommendations for who would be good candidates
for sterilization, and those recommendations were almost always accepted…
It was not
uncommon for poor, often African American, women in rural areas to go to a
hospital to give birth and be unknowingly sterilized, often while being told
they were having their appendix removed. This happened even to children,
including those who had become pregnant by rape.
A Government-Approved "Solution" for Poverty
and Illegitimacy
The U.S. eugenics
practice was not a movement carried out in the back woods or by a few corrupted
individuals, it was a government-approved and in some cases suggested
procedure. As stated by the North Carolina Justice for Sterilization Victims
Foundation:
In the U.S.,
eugenics was carried out by individuals, nonprofit organizations and state
governments that felt that human reproduction should be controlled.
… In the late
1940s, the Department of Public Welfare began to promote increased
sterilization as one of several solutions to poverty and illegitimacy. In the
1950s, the N.C. Eugenics Board began to focus increasingly on the sterilization
of welfare recipients, which led to a dramatic rise of sterilizations for
African Americans and women that did not reside in state institutions. Prior to
the 1950s, many of the sterilization orders primarily impacted persons residing
in state institutions."
No comments:
Post a Comment