Eugenics Movement & Sterilization Practices

The eugenics movement strove to genetically improve the human population. The process consisted of identifying unfit individuals in society such as homosexuals, promiscuous women, mentally ill, and the impoverished and an elimination process was set forth. Many of these individuals and their family members were sterilized. This movement led to a new form of discrimination. Proponents of that movement believed that the power of science could solve the social problems that they faced at that time and Eugenics was their solution. The problem with the movement was multifaceted. Based on their race, health status or the state of carrying certain diseases (deafness, blindness, or other), or their behavior, people were grouped in certain categories some of which were stigmatized as unfit for the human race.

 
Ideological and scientific bases of Eugenics were unsupported and their philosophy including their methods were wrong, violating people’s rights and freedom to procreate and reproduce, the right to live, and have a family. Eugenics was ultimately a violation of human rights.

Proponents of eugenics and their leaders such as the board members failed to take into account the effects of social, political and environmental factors that have powerful influences on human behavior.

For instance, the son of a criminal is raised by a single mother working two jobs and shows her unconditional love for her son in every way possible. The son, therefore, through a strong parental figure, a home to come to, and unconditioned love, can decide that his father is far from the man he wants to become. Instead, the social failure, his father, becomes the sons motivation and drive to become a valuable member of society.
The example stated above, is just one possible instance out of many that occur in the world and social communities.  Although, such unfit individuals may overcrowd our hospitals, jails, or commit horrific crimes, they make people appreciate the value of an education, importance of role models, and significance of compassion towards others.

Instead of using the states money to sterilize and eliminate those that were unfit or social failures, they should have provided resources towards these individuals and their families that would give them the opportunity to become a valuable member in society that the life they were born into never gave them.

Francis Galton and his eugenics movement in essence strove to achieve something innately that we all want for ourselves- to be intelligent, healthy, athletically fit, and to ultimately live longer. In the end we are all still human. We are complex organisms, where our DNA is constantly changing creating errors in the process. It is our body’s age that prevents some of these genetic mutations in our DNA to be eliminated which can lead to cancer or disease.  We ourselves are not perfect beings so we cannot expect to sterilize people for the possibility of giving birth to a child that might become an unfit member of society.

 

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