1 / 12

Eugenics

Eugenics. Tyler J Kaitlyn G. What is Eugenics?. T he study of methods to improve the human race by controlling reproduction. The term was coined by Sir Francis Galton in 1883. Controlling Reproduction.

dominy
Download Presentation

Eugenics

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Eugenics Tyler J KaitlynG

  2. What is Eugenics? • The study of methods to improve the human race by controlling reproduction. • The term was coined by Sir Francis Galton in 1883.

  3. Controlling Reproduction • Meant weeding out the undesirable traits and encouraging reproduction of the desirable traits for future generation • Undesirable traits: • Feeblemindedness • Alcoholism • Drug addiction • Sexual crimes • Blindness/deafness • Any traits viewed socially unacceptable

  4. History • Gregor Mendel, Father of Genetics • Study of cross breeding pea plants • Discovered a statistical pattern of plant features, such as height and color After his death, Scientists took his theory and applied it toward Human Genetics.

  5. Charles Davenport • Biologist • Applied the Mendelian principles to human genetic inheritance • Hair color • Eye color • Skin pigmentation His interest was first in the genetic aspect of the movement but his involvement progressed his interest to eugenics/selective breeding

  6. U.S. Movement • Race Betterment Foundation • American Eugenics Society (1923) • 29 chapters • Popped up in everyday life • School • County/State fair • Movies • Church

  7. Laws • Sterilization Law • Marriage Law • Immigration Act

  8. What Could Eugenics Solve? • In California, some women were sterilized for being “bad girls,” diagnosed as “passionate,” “oversexed,” or “sexually wayward.” Some women were sterilized because of what was deemed an abnormally large clitoris or labia. • Rebelliousness, nomadism, poverty, criminalty, prostitutation

  9. Germany Movement • “Aryan Race” • Before WWII, America eugenicists supported and funded Germany’s movement • Germany’s idea of eugenics was taken to another level • Hitler wrote a fan letter to American eugenic leader Madison Grant calling his eugenics book, The Passing of the Great Race, his “bible.” • “I have studied it with great interest the laws of several American states concerning prevention of reproduction by people whose progeny would, in all probability, be of no value or be injurious to the racial stock.” Hitler

  10. Eugenics Today • More scientific, but no less controversial • Screening in early pregnancy or before In Vetro Fertilization (IVF) • disease-carrying genes • Gender Screening for more traits in the future and possible “Designer Babies”

  11. Quotes • “Eugenic sterilization is an urgent need … We must prevent multiplication of this bad stock.” Margaret Sanger • “What nature does blindly, slowly and ruthlessly, man may do providently, quickly, and kindly. As it lies within his power, so it becomes his duty to work in that direction.” Sir Francis Galton • “The advance of genetic engineering makes it quite conceivable that we will begin to design our own evolutionary progress.” Isaac Asimov • “Genetic engineers don’t make new genes, they rearrange existing ones.” Thomas E. Lovejoy

  12. Discussion • Do you think Eugenics is currently needed? • If you had the choice to “design” your child, would you? • What do you think about America’s influence on Germany’s Eugenic movement?

More Related