Lecture 34: Eugenics

Question 1

What is eugenics?

Answer 1

• A movement aimed to improve the human species by controlling breeding
• Positive = encourage “good” gened people to have more children
• Negative = discourage “bad” gened people to have children (highlighed)

Question 2

In 1910s + 1920s, many traits were considered to be inherited as recessive Mendelian traits such as….
________ wasn’t taken into account though.

Answer 2

• Pauperism
• Alcoholism
• Delinquency
• Feeblemindedness
• Environment

Question 3

The eugenicists’ idea was to…

Answer 3

• Prevent the feebleminded (nn) from breeding
• Artificial selection against n
• Reduction in frequency of n
• Less feeblemindedness, delinquency, pauperism, etc.

Question 4

Who is Ronald A. Fisher?

Answer 4

• Brilliant statistician

- Ardent egenicist

Question 5

Eugenists in the USA:

Answer 5

• Sterilization Laws

- Supreme Court upheld laws

Question 6

Eugenics in Britain:

Answer 6

• Sterilization legislation opposed by Catholic Church & labour unions
• Eugenics opposed by Catholic Church & labour unions

Question 7

Eugenics in Germany:

Answer 7

• Nazi policy

- Millions killed (not all for eugenic reasons)

Question 8

Eugenics after WWII:

Answer 8

• Eugenics didn’t die immediately
• 1200 sterilized in Sweden
• Emphasis on genetic counselling

Question 9

Why did Eugenics fail?

Answer 9

• Today we value individual right’s significantly more
• Privacy
• Reproductivity autonomy
• Disabled rights
• Eugenics didn’t give people a choice
• And the state was involved in reproductive decisions

Question 10

Summary:

Answer 10

• It was widely accepted in the 1920s and 1930s
• Textbooks often erroneously imply that eugenicists did not understand genetics
• Eugenics failed for a number of reasons:
  Improved understanding of genetics
  Changes in society’s views
• Understanding our concerns illuminates current debates in medical genetics
  Compulsion vs. free-choice
• Debates are rancorous + outgoing because they’re about ethics not science