New genetic technologies are allowing us to assess and alter our own DNA and that of future generations.
With it comes excitement about the potential for treating disease, as well as fears that some applications (such as embryo screening, prenatal testing of fetal DNA, and genome editing) could lead to a new era of eugenics.
What is Eugenics?
Eugenics is a movement/philosophy that argues that society can be improved by controlling who can and cannot have children. Early eugenicists believed that parents of “good stock” would have children who were healthier and more intelligent. On the other hand, they believed that people who were “poor,” “lazy,” or “criminal” should be prevented from having children. However, there was, and is, no evidence or scientific proof that these traits are inherited from parents to children. Despite that, people and societies have used eugenic ideas to justify discrimination, slavery, and genocide around the world for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
The American Eugenics Movement
In the early 20th century, as geneticists began to widely recognize the basic principles of inheritance (discovered by Gregor Mendel decades before), the science of modern genetics played a significant role in advancing the arguments in favor of eugenic government policies in the United States. These laws:
- Prohibited interracial marriage
- Restricted immigration
- Granted the government the right to sterilize individuals against their will or without their knowledge
The scientific arguments behind eugenics were flawed from the beginning yet took root and grew. This history, known as the American eugenics movement, was supported and encouraged by a wide swath of people, including everyday citizens, politicians, scientists, social reformers, prominent business leaders, and influential individuals who shared a goal of reducing the “burden” on society.
The United States became the first country to have a systematic program for performing sterilizations on individuals without their knowledge or against their will. The majority of people targeted for sterilization were deemed of inferior intelligence, particularly poor people and, eventually, people of color. Between 1927 and the 1970s, there were more than 60,000 compulsory sterilizations performed in 33 states in the United States; California led the nation with over 20,000. Experts think many more sterilizations were likely performed but not officially recorded.
Eugenics in World War II
Adolf Hitler based some of his early ideas about eugenics on the programs practiced in the United States. He became its most infamous practitioner, leading the Nazis to sterilize and kill millions of people deemed inferior and medically unfit. During the Holocaust, the Nazis murdered 6 million Jewish people, as well as many other millions of people targeted for their political and religious beliefs, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. These include people of Slavic descent (e.g., Poles, Russians, Ukrainians), Romani people, members of the LGBT community, people that were considered mentally or physically disabled, people with opposing political views (including prisoners of war), Christians, Muslims, people of color, and many others deemed “undesirable” by the Nazi regime.
Worries of a “New Eugenics”
Today, scientists can use technologies to decode and edit the human genome. While the use of these technologies helps produce treatments for genetic health conditions, they also raise concerns about the potential for misuse.
Many people worry that practices such as embryo screening, prenatal testing of fetal DNA, and genome editing could pave the way for a new era of eugenics. The potential for this technology to cause devastating harm presents new questions for society to confront.
Understanding the history of the eugenics movement informs conversations about how society can reap the benefits of new genetic tools while safeguarding against future misuse. Examining historical tragedies should not dissuade people from considering their need for life-saving genetic therapies. Rather, the goal is for people to understand the past, be aware of present possibilities, and feel better equipped to evaluate the benefits and risks of genetic technologies so they can make informed decisions for their future.