Supreme Court Case: The Bell Vs. Buck Case

The Bell vs. Buck case was a very sensitive topic during its time due to the concept that feeble-minded individuals should not pass on their genes. It led to many controversies: some agreed with it and others believed it was unethical, however, one must fully understand the reasons why the Supreme Court went through with the decision. There are several cultural values that support the Supreme Court’s decision including prevention, balance, and responsibility.
The first value which appears to be the most prominent is responsibility. “The Virginia Statute providing sexual sterilization of inmates…with a hereditary form of insanity or imbecility,” was ruled to be under the responsibility of the court based on the Fourteenth Amendment (Bell v Buck 1-4). The Supreme Court describes the Amendment which allows sexual sterilization to be …show more content…
Each value supports each other which ultimately justifies the Supreme Court’s decision at the time. Prevention is the most important value in this decision. The Supreme Court knew if they did not prevent the continuation of the genes, then the individuals would be kept locked up in misery for the rest of their lives. As anyone could imagine, being stuck in an asylum for the rest of one’s life is not a great way to live. Therefore, the Supreme Court thought it was best to eliminate the problem at its source. The Supreme Court also thought about how society would interact if there were more feeble-minded people than not and reflects on how they wanted to maintain a healthy balance in society. Lastly, the Supreme Court felt as though it were their responsibility to help the society thrive as best as it could, even if it included eliminating certain factors like “feeble minded genes”. The Supreme Court had a duty to uphold as the background supporter of the