Ethical Eugenics?
Isaac Han
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Ever since Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime, the word “eugenics” has stirred
nothing but negative public attention. Simply because of the association with the
Holocaust, the word itself has been tainted to the point where mere mention of it sends
people running for their pitch forks and torches. Even now, more than half a century
after the actions of just one man soiled the entire science, we are living in ignorance of a
possible breakthrough in the advancement of society. Is this a just reason to discard an
entire field of study?
To fully understand the concept of eugenics, we first need to take a look at
history. Most people, and almost every evangelical neo-luddite, will point to Charles
Darwin as the forefather of the abominable study of hereditary traits which arguably led
to the Holocaust. However what most people don’t know is that his half-cousin Francis
Galton went even further. Galton didn’t stop at merely observing traits that were passed
on between generations, he went further and made the first rudimentary studies on
human heredity. He collected data and found that smarter people had smarter children.
While his research was did not use completely quantifiable data (quantifying
intelligence is an issue of it’s own) and would be rejected by any modern institution, it
did show that if people were to pursue Charles Darwin’s artificial selection with the
human populace, an entire society of healthier, smarter, stronger people could be bred.
On the other hand, if physically or mentally handicapped people were allowed to ‘breed’
relentlessly, the population would suffer as a whole as they would not only be
genetically “polluted” but also suffer the burdens of caring after these people. This led
Galton
to
publish
a
paper
on
the
subject
in
1865.
<http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/galtonselection.html>. This paper had such a big
impact that certain states in the United States started to pass actual laws.
The first state to pass a law influenced by eugenics was Indiana.
<http://www.kobescent.com/eugenics/timeline.html>. The state government of Indiana
started to study the effect of inheritance in 1876 in hopes of reducing “pauperism”. This
eventually led to many other scientists taking interest in the subject such as Dr.
Gonzalva Smythe, Dr. Joseph Iutzi and Dr. Harry Sharp. Dr. Sharp in particular started
to sterilize inmates at hospitals without legal consent.
All of this interest eventually led to a eugenic sterilization law which was
passed in the Indiana state senate in 1907, which forced convicts such as murderers and
rapists to be sterilized. Soon, the eugenics movement took root in other states and states
such as Virginia passed their own laws. Even places outside the US began to pass laws.
The province of Alberta Canada in particular passed the most notorious of all eugenic
laws in 1928, which led to the sterilization of around 4725 people.
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<http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/people/influ_eugenics.html>.
But does it work? Current data on the population of societies that passed
eugenic laws are not reliable as people cross borders too frequently to accurately predict
the actual population. Not to mention countless other hidden variables that would
undoubtedly affect quantifiable data such as crime rate. However there are actual
historical precedents which may show that eugenic practices do lead to a stronger
society in the long run.
The easiest of such examples would definitely be ancient Sparta. As outlined in
the recent popular movie 300, the state of Sparta utilized eugenic practices to an
extreme degree. They would kill babies that showed the slightest sign of imperfection.
The result? A frightfully powerful nation that proved to be one of the strongest military
powers of the time. While the influence that the extreme eugenic practices had on the
strength of Sparta is arguable, it does show us a basic historical precedent. But why in
the modern world would we need eugenics?
The answer can be found in the works of David Jordan. Jordan published in
1915
and
coined
the
term
“dysgenics”
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Starr_Jordan><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysge
nics>.. He hypothesized that the affect of WWI had a “dysgenic” effect on the overall
gene pool as the finest men would go off to die while the crippled and handicapped
would remain behind to breed. While this doesn’t seem applicable today, a short look at
birth rate trends will show us otherwise.
In the developed world, more successful people who are career oriented are less
likely to have children than people of lower financial success. A simple look at couples
around you should show an alarming trend: The numbers of children couples with
successful careers have compared to people in the lower-middle to lower class shows a
large difference.
In order to contain, then stop this genetic pollution we need to begin ethical
eugenic practices now. In fact, a milder version of what I propose is already taking place
in Israel. The Dor Yeshorim <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dor_Yeshorim> is an
Israeli organization that offers genetic screening to potential couples who want to have
children. If a couple discovers that they both carry a gene for genetic disease such as
Tay-Sachs, they make an informed decision on having children. The interesting part is
that this has been remarkably effective. The birth of children with Tay-Sachs disease in
Israel
has
declined
more
than
90%.
<http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/eugenics-sacred-and-profane>. If such a
simple, voluntary option presented to couples has such a dramatic effect, the impact
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more active measures could have in the space of just a few generations could be
amazing.
While the forced sterilization of countless couples across the world does not
seem to be an option, research grants should definitely be awarded to find ways on
improving the gene pool. There are definitely numerous ways one could go about
introducing the practice. Incentives should be given for more successful couples to have
more children while discouraging people with genetic diseases to breed.
As a race, we owe it to future generations to not only provide them with a world
to live in, but also with a society of less handicapped people to care for, less people who
would be likely to live on welfare checks. This would reduce the societal burden
significantly. “... we all inhabit this same small planet. We all breathe the same air. We
all cherish out children’s future.” – John F. Kenndey
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Works Cited
"David
Starr
Jordan."
Wikipedia.
Wikimedia.
16
Jan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Starr_Jordan>.
"Dor
Yeshorim."
Wikipedia.
Wikimedia.
17
Jan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dor_Yeshorim>.
"Dysgenics."
Wikipedia.
Wikimedia.
16
Jan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgenics>.
"Eugenics
in
Alberta."
Heritage.
Heritage.
17
Jan.
<http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/people/influ_eugenics.html>.
2009
2009
2009
2009
"Eugenics-Sacred
and
Profane."
Thenewatlantis.
17
Jan.
2009
<http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/eugenics-sacred-and-profane>.
"Francis
Galton."
Wikipedia.
Wikimedia.
16
Jan.
2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Galton>.
"Hereditary Talent and Character." Webspace. Webspace. 17 Jan. 2009
<http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/galtonselection.html>.
"Timeline:
Eugenics
in
Indiana."
Kobescent.
17
Jan.
2009
<http://www.kobescent.com/eugenics/timeline.html>.