Eugenics, a social and philosophical movement, began with Francis Galton, who laid out the foundation of eugenics in his book Inquiries into Human Faculty and its Development. The eugenics movement began to pick up momentum in the early 20th century, where the entire basis of eugenics was to encourage reproduction between those of ‘desirable traits’ and discourage reproduction between those of ‘undesirable’ traits to create a better, stronger human race. What considered traits desirable and undesirable was the idea the traits were inherited and would remain the family bloodline until the family eventually died out.
These undesired or ‘negative’ eugenics include, but are not limited to: poverty, bad work ethic, lack of morality or lawlessness, …show more content…
began to flourish in the 20th century, where 32 states had sponsored control of the population through unethical means of sterilization. These programs were specifically popular in California, where it led the country’s growing numbers of unethical sterilization on men and women alike. These men and women were targeted by their race, social status, or disability. These gruesome programs in California were praised by Hitler himself, where he said one state in the U.S. was striving for “better conception”, in which he meant the perfection of the human race is being achieved in the U.S.A. , California specifically, and not in the model German Republic to strengthen his argument that Germany must redeem itself with Hitler at power. While California’s sterilization programs were geared towards those who were anti-Asian and anti-Mexican, southern states’ programs differed in the fact they were very anti-African American. In mainly the southern states, women of color were being used as the course material in teaching hospitals for medical students, these ordeals are more commonly known as the “Mississippi appendectomies”, as it was completely unnecessary. Southern state programs began sterilizing at ages as low as nine, for some children were deemed “unwholesome”, with high numbers of sterilized …show more content…
It’s reported that 25-50% of the female Native American population was coerced into sterilization between 1970-1976. While there were many cases; Buck v. Bell, Madrigal v. Quilligan, and Relf v. Weinberger, fighting for the reproductive rights for females, many of the results still stand today. Buck v. Bell has never been overturned by the supreme court where the original ruling still stands in the court of law today; “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.”
And as of more recent times, from 2006-2010, Californian prisons are said to have authorized nearly 150 sterilizations of female inmates, despite being operated under coercion. Doctors that performed the operations were being paid by the state for around $147,460, despite the laws of unconsented sterilization being overturned.
In conclusion, today in the federal court of law, sterilization laws are officially repealed, compensation was offered to those affected during 1929-1974 in North Carolina and Virginia as of 2013 and 2015, respectively, and in 2003, California has officially apologized to those sterilized persons, but have yet to offer compensation of any sort. Eugenics are no longer considered truth today, but the outcomes of a time of ignorance still affect hundreds today, and only now are they being compensated for what the state did to
These undesired or ‘negative’ eugenics include, but are not limited to: poverty, bad work ethic, lack of morality or lawlessness, …show more content…
began to flourish in the 20th century, where 32 states had sponsored control of the population through unethical means of sterilization. These programs were specifically popular in California, where it led the country’s growing numbers of unethical sterilization on men and women alike. These men and women were targeted by their race, social status, or disability. These gruesome programs in California were praised by Hitler himself, where he said one state in the U.S. was striving for “better conception”, in which he meant the perfection of the human race is being achieved in the U.S.A. , California specifically, and not in the model German Republic to strengthen his argument that Germany must redeem itself with Hitler at power. While California’s sterilization programs were geared towards those who were anti-Asian and anti-Mexican, southern states’ programs differed in the fact they were very anti-African American. In mainly the southern states, women of color were being used as the course material in teaching hospitals for medical students, these ordeals are more commonly known as the “Mississippi appendectomies”, as it was completely unnecessary. Southern state programs began sterilizing at ages as low as nine, for some children were deemed “unwholesome”, with high numbers of sterilized …show more content…
It’s reported that 25-50% of the female Native American population was coerced into sterilization between 1970-1976. While there were many cases; Buck v. Bell, Madrigal v. Quilligan, and Relf v. Weinberger, fighting for the reproductive rights for females, many of the results still stand today. Buck v. Bell has never been overturned by the supreme court where the original ruling still stands in the court of law today; “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.”
And as of more recent times, from 2006-2010, Californian prisons are said to have authorized nearly 150 sterilizations of female inmates, despite being operated under coercion. Doctors that performed the operations were being paid by the state for around $147,460, despite the laws of unconsented sterilization being overturned.
In conclusion, today in the federal court of law, sterilization laws are officially repealed, compensation was offered to those affected during 1929-1974 in North Carolina and Virginia as of 2013 and 2015, respectively, and in 2003, California has officially apologized to those sterilized persons, but have yet to offer compensation of any sort. Eugenics are no longer considered truth today, but the outcomes of a time of ignorance still affect hundreds today, and only now are they being compensated for what the state did to