Tag: eugenics

“I Love When Eugenics Is Readily Displayed on YouTube (Not)”

This YouTuber and his wife have stressed me out. But I have a lot of thoughts regarding their situation that I need to just put on this page so they don’t keep spinning around in my head.

I stand for women having full control of the choices in regard to their bodies. And I stand for women having adequate reproductive healthcare in all situations.

I’m also a disabled woman who was born that way. And I’m a special education teacher. And one day, I hope to be a mom.

In case you’re reading this and are confused, a well-known, well-off YouTuber and his wife were trying for a baby, got pregnant and were excited to have this baby. That is, until they went in for genetic testing, and discovered that their baby would be born with Down Syndrome. They terminated the pregnancy.

Down Syndrome is the name given to Trisomy 21. It’s a genetic mutation which is known for the learning challenges associated with it, caused by intellectual impairment. It also causes shorter stature and health concerns in the body.

But man, are the kids born with it, bold, sassy, funny, mischievous, and playful. And as more research is done and the world is made more equitable for disabled people as a whole, they are more and more autonomous, fulfilled, healthy, and joyous. And so it’s heartbreaking to see that they went ahead and terminated a pregnancy they previously desired over an unexpected diagnosis. And for what? I would understand if they made that choice because they didn’t want to welcome a human into the world with that diagnosis in less than desirable circumstances they were a well-off couple who was already established and. I assume, still in love. They were a couple who initially desired this pregnancy.

And I would understand if the mother or baby was in bad health, necessitating the termination of the pregnancy.Down syndrome is compatible with life. I mean that in more ways than one. Adults with Down syndrome can and do live fulfilling and autonomous lives. Surprise, surprise. Adults with Down syndrome all have different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, and dreams. Just like adults without Down syndrome. They receive education and job training. They hold down jobs meaningful to them and make contributions to their communities. They can live on their own, with family, or with roommates. Some choose to cultivate romantic relationships. Some become parents. These are all things that so-called normal people also do.

Do they suffer? I’m sure. I’m personally limited to only seeing children with intellectual disabilities suffer. Specifically, when I ask them to complete math problems or generalize new learning strategies.

I’m sure they have all kinds of struggles. As do the adults.

I can attest to having unpleasant moments thanks to my own disabilities. I would not, however, attest to having a horrible or painful life because of them.

We live in a different world now. A Down syndrome diagnosis doesn’t mean what it used to mean.

I’ve seen so many takes recently on the internet since their announcement. I don’t know if I can unpack them all here.

One social media user stated that this is not the economy to raise a disabled child in. Well, from my understanding, this couple in question has a net worth of over a million dollars. In any case, if you’re trying to get pregnant, which they were, that means you can afford a child. I would hope, anyway. And I hear people now. But, what about the medical costs associated with having a baby with a disability? Well, if you don’t have the money to take care of the needs for a baby with Down syndrome, than you probably also don’t have the financial means to take care of a “healthy” baby who, during or post-birth, develops a complication, infection, cancer, injury, developmental delays or mental illness. So then don’t have a baby at all. You don’t have your money up yet. Nor the resources available to you that would help the low-income parents of disabled children. Nor the crowdfunding resources people use. Nor the creativity or problem-solving skills required. And also, this implies that the world was made for disabled people. It was not. And so therefore, there will never be a general economy to raise a disabled child in.

Oh, Down syndrome comes with health issues, obstacles, and suffering. Yes, and? Life, which is what children and adults with Down syndrome or other disabilities are full of, is constant obstacles, innate suffering, moments of joy, and the occasional health issue. Don’t have a baby at all, then, if that’s hard to accept. Any child you bring into the world is going to suffer/feel some type of pain, get injured/get sick sometimes. Life can be painful but also beautiful for everyone.

You might have a kid with a diagnosis you didn’t expect or want. They may go through bad things in school or, when they get older, at their jobs. But that’s also true for the poor, for LGBTQ folks, Black people, Latinos, Asians…etc. What are you, or I, going to do as people who want kids one day? Keep aborting any and all of them?

A final thought before I wrap this post up. Supposedly, the YouTuber in question responded to some comments by saying he’s glad his parents didn’t abort him “but he’s normal.” Um? Screw you. Shut up. I will not be elaborating any further. Thank you for reading, if you managed to get this far.

A Brief History on the Eugenics Movement

Eugenics, initiated by Sir Francis Galton and influenced by Darwin’s theories, is a discredited pseudoscience promoting racial superiority and discrimination based on genetics. This ideology led to forced sterilizations and shaped Nazi beliefs. Despite declining in popularity due to flawed research, remnants persist in scientific discourse, raising ongoing societal concerns.

6/8/26

Eugenics is a largely discredited pseudoscience and social philosophy. Its movement has encouraged policies where people with better genetics benefit in society and people with worse genetics are punished.

Inspired by the American eugenicist movement, Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party went for disabled people before he went for Jewish people. But eugenics officially began with Charles Darwin’s half-cousin, Sir Francis Galton. In case you’re in need of a refresher, Charles Darwin was a biologist and a geologist credited for his contributions to evolutionary science. He developed the theory that all species of life have descended from common ancestors and that different populations will adapt to their environments. The well-known phrase, “survival of the fittest,” is attributed to Darwinist evolutionary science. Unfortunately, it’s widely misunderstood and misused. Survival of the fittest does not mean that the strongest animal will survive out of the group. It means that the animal with the best traits for its environment will most likely survive in that given environment.

Now, back to Sir Francis Galton. He coined the word “eugenics,” which comes from Greek and means something along the lines of “good in birth.” To me, it just sounds and looks like it’s spelling “good genes.”

Galton was a proponent of controlling human evolution and development. He also believed abstract human traits such as intelligence was a result of heredity. He claimed only the “higher races” of people could be successful.

When the first groups of the eugenics movement began to form, a German biologist named Alfred Ploetz, coined the term “racial hygiene.” He proceeded to publish a book emphasizing the racial superiority of Nordic and “Aryan” people. This concept significantly influenced Nazi beliefs.

In the early 1900s, a loud, racist man named Charles Davenport asked the American Breeders Association to study eugenics. This organization had been committed to researching plant and animal breeding, alongside studying and promoting genetics.

By 1910, Michigan and Pennsylvania tried and failed to pass sterilization laws but Indiana had succeeded. Under this law, people with intellectual disabilities as well as certain criminals were forced to become infertile. In addition, any woman deemed “feebleminded” or “promiscuous” could also be sterilized. Around this time period, state officials believed that crime and poverty were caused by poor genetics.

Notable people of this time period were in support of this movement such as John Harvey Kellog and Alexander Graham Bell. In fact, Kellog (known for the cereal) and philanthropist Mary Williamson Harriman, funded Davenport’s research. Questionnaires were created for American families and fieldworkers were trained to compile data on traits like “feeblemindedness,” “criminality”, and “alcoholism.”

Eugenics started losing popularity in the 1930’s when many of its previous supporters vocalized how research was based on flawed experimental methods. Their application of knowledge was simplistic and their research was tainted by racist and classist biases. Proponents of eugenics tried to use their scientific knowledge to control immigrant populations. During this time period, European immigrants in America were seen as inferior to Nordic populations. They explained that non-Nordic European immigrants were prone to higher rates of criminality and other problems for genetic reasons. But eventually, more people were outspoken about the fact that non-Nordic Europeans were not any more likely to be criminals than Nordic Europeans. By this point, 30 states had already passed sterilization laws. Some of these laws were still in effect up until the 1980’s.

And then the 1990’s saw a resurgence of eugenics beliefs. Richard Hernstein and Charles Murray, along with James Watson, the former director of the NCHGR, have spouted ideology declaring that black people and Europeans are genetically predisposed to having lower IQ scores. And that these lower IQ scores led to criminality. Richard Hernstein and Charles Murray even co-authored their beliefs in a book titled “The Bell Curve.”

Eugenics, to this day, remains a problem in the scientific community and in society at large.