Forced Sterilization And Its Effects On Society - 1711 Words

Shortly after the turn-of-the-century, nearly two-thirds of states in America enacted laws that required sterilization of various criminals, mentally ill, epileptics, alcoholics, and sufferers of poverty (Largent, 2011). All of this effort was exerted to prevent undesirable children from being born. It was justified by the assumption that unfit people aren’t capable of adequate parenting; therefore their offspring would be a financial burden on society. Strong ideals and dogma were the weapons chosen by eugenicists to get involuntary sterilization legalized. Depending on who is in power politically at a given time, certain people in society are vulnerable to abuse. This author will focus on the topic of forced sterilization in America, as there are certain people in this country that are still coerced and forced into sterilization. Background The topic of eugenics is broad in nature and can mean anything from human sterilization, reproductive genetic technologies (RGT), selective breeding, restrictions on marriage and withholding assistance from the poor and sick. All of this effort is exerted to protect society from the unfit, inferior and ultimately to improve the quality of the gene pool (Camporesi, 2015). Historical perspective After Charles Darwin published his book â€Å"On the origins of species† in 1859, evolution became a hot topic of discussion; the notion of the human race improving itself by selective breeding started to spread (Winfield, 2012). For yearsShow MoreRelatedEugenics And Its Impact On Human Life1560 Words   |  7 Pagescenters on manipulating those who are considered genetically weak in society, coercing these individuals to believe they are unfit for having children. Eugenicists believed that this practice would help to eliminate any hereditary dysfunctions that a person carries and inhibit the passing on of what is considered to be harmful traits. Many people in this movement relied on the idea of sterilization being the way to relieve society of harmful disorders that they specified was unfit. The state of NorthRead MoreEugenics And The History Of Medical Ethics1490 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"It is impossible to understand the history of eugenics and its enduring legacies in California outside the framework of Chicana/o history†. Sterilization practices in Puerto Rico and California, pre- and post- legal eugenics can be examined through the context of eugenics and the history of medical ethics. â€Å"Although steady or increasing rates of sterilization in some cases reflected women’s demands for birth control, the lines between voluntary and coerced were often quite blurred† and a case canRead MoreProblems Faced By Forced Sterilization1223 Words   |  5 Pagesfaces of the joyless people. The world as you know it, is gone. Today’s society is quickly becoming dismal. Men and women are reproducing offspring without even thinking about what they are doing by bringing a human being into the world. They are potentially introducing them to the constant hopeless of what is to come. We as educated people can no longer let this proceed. I propose we limit these conflicts by forced sterilization if you do not have at least the ave rage IQ score of 90. I think that itRead MoreThe Effects of the One-Child Policy in China Essay example808 Words   |  4 Pagesto control how many children you have? Is it fair for them to kill your unborn children? Since 1949 under the rule of Mao Zedong, the communist Chinese government had enforced policies that control families and couples in China. The Government has forced the people to have more children at one point and less at another. The One-Child policy in China limits Chinese couples to one child each. The three exceptions to the policy are: Minority ethnic groups, urban single-child residents, and the policyRead MoreThe United States Of America Essay1421 Words   |  6 Pagesthe law. The practices that were used gave rise to a deep problem in the African American community that is still prevalent in today’s society. Slavery was about â€Å"stolen bodies working stolen land. It was an engine that did not stop, its hungry boiler fed with blood.† (Whitehead 117) Practices during slavery which include but not limited to forced sterilization, phrenology, and various experiments are the underpinnings that are the likely consequences of African American distrust in the health careRead MoreHuman Rights Are The Rights One Is Entitled To Based On1232 Words   |  5 Pagesmass sterilization – and in particular, focused on the rights of women and racial minorities. While the rights of sexual minorities were also impacted, this essay will only examine the rights of women and racial minorities in the context of the main 20th century horrors because they were the two groups most affected by these horrors. The human rights of racial minorities and women emerged through laws and non-binding documents after and due to war, genocide, expulsion, and mass sterilization in theRead MoreA Landmark Surgery1619 Words   |  7 Pagesits essence is a form of selective breeding that places emphasis on the laws of Darwinian evolutionary theory to seed out any unneccesarisly bad genes from affecting the healthy growth of the world population. In the US this took the form of forced sterilizations on those deemed genetically unfit to contribute to the gene pool (Estabrook). It is in other countries where we are most familiar with the process, most specifically Nazi Germany. The efforts of the Third Reich to create a genetically superiorRead MoreThe Effects Of Racism On African American Women971 Words   |  4 Pageswhole world. It is a belief of people that their race, skin color, ethnic identity is superior than others. Racism is found almost everywhere in the world. 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Yet, simultaneously Canada exists in a state with a numerous amount of human rights abuses against Aboriginal womenRead MoreThe Eugenics Of The Word Eugenics1626 Words   |  7 Pageseugenics was to improve the health and performance of the population by preventing reproduction of its least fit and performed of the population. Severe restrictions were put on those with defects. They had to be kept from reproducing and involuntary sterilization would be used if necessary (Eugenics, 2009). The negative goals included eliminating genetic diseases, disorders, disabilities and other mental or physical defects. The goal of positive eugenics was to increase the rate of reproduction of those