Eugenics: A Global History of a Dangerous Idea

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Eugenics—the idea of “improving” human populations through selective breeding and forced sterilization—was once embraced by governments, scientists, and social reformers worldwide. While often disguised as a path to social progress, eugenics led to horrifying policies that stripped people of their rights, justified racism, and caused lasting trauma. This post explores how different countries implemented eugenics, from sterilization laws in the United States to Nazi racial policies and beyond.

Britain: The Intellectual Home of Eugenics

The term “eugenics” was coined in Britain by Francis Galton in 1883. Although Britain never passed sterilization laws, eugenic ideas influenced public health policies and immigration laws. The Eugenics Society, founded in 1907, promoted selective breeding and restrictions on “unfit” marriages. By the 1930s, support waned as the movement became associated with Nazi ideology (Richardson, 2003).

United States: The Birthplace of Legal Eugenics

The U.S. was a pioneer in eugenics policies, with 32 states enacting forced sterilization laws between 1907 and 1937. More than 60,000 people—mainly institutionalized individuals—were sterilized under these laws. California led with 20,000 sterilizations, followed by Virginia and North Carolina.

Eugenics also shaped immigration policies. The National Origins Act of 1924 restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe based on racial science.

While sterilization laws were repealed in the 1970s, their effects lasted. In 2013, North Carolina finally offered compensation to victims.

Germany: When Eugenics Became Genocide

In 1933, the Nazi government passed the Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring, leading to the forced sterilization of around 400,000 people. This was just the beginning. The Nazis took eugenics to its most extreme form with Aktion T4, a program that euthanized disabled individuals. Auschwitz became a laboratory for cruel experiments aimed at developing mass sterilization techniques, including chemical injections and radiation exposure (Medical Crimes – The Experiments in Auschwitz by Irena Strzelecka – Amazon link).

It wasn’t until 1980 that Germany began acknowledging and compensating sterilization victims.

Japan: A Long-Lasting Eugenics Policy

Japan’s National Eugenics Law (1940) began sterilizing criminals and people with hereditary diseases. The Eugenics Protection Law (1948) expanded the program, leading to over 16,500 forced sterilizations before it was finally abolished in 1996.

In 2019, Japan apologized and offered compensation to surviving victims.

Canada: Targeting Indigenous Communities

Alberta and British Columbia enacted sterilization laws, leading to over 3,000 sterilizations between 1928 and 1972. Indigenous women, Métis people, and institutionalized children were disproportionately targeted.

While most provinces rejected formal sterilization laws, eugenic ideals influenced other policies, such as the forced institutionalization of women deemed “unfit” for motherhood. Alberta formally apologized in the 1990s and provided financial compensation to victims.

China: Eugenics in the Modern Era

China’s approach to eugenics has evolved from early 20th-century birth control advocacy to modern genetic screening laws. The Maternal and Infant Health Care Law (1995) encouraged genetic screening and discouraged marriages involving individuals with “severe hereditary diseases”. While China condemns past eugenics policies, selective abortion, and reproductive policies still reflect eugenic thinking.

Soviet Union: Eugenics Without Sterilization

The Soviet Union did not implement eugenics through forced sterilization or similar coercive measures as seen in other countries. Instead, Soviet eugenicists focused on positive eugenics, emphasizing the improvement of human heredity through voluntary means and environmental influences. The concept of the “New Soviet Man” exemplifies this approach, aiming to mold citizens with superior qualities through social and environmental interventions.

In the 1920s, figures like Iurii Filipchenko and Nikolai Koltsov established genetic research centers in Petrograd and Moscow, respectively, where eugenics was integrated into experimental biology. The Russian Eugenics Society, founded in 1920, was composed mainly of research-oriented professionals.

However, by the early 1930s, the Soviet government, under Joseph Stalin, denounced eugenics as a “bourgeois” and “fascist” science, leading to its decline in the USSR. Consequently, the Soviet Union did not pursue eugenic policies involving forced sterilization or other coercive methods.

Therefore, while eugenic ideas were present in Soviet scientific discourse, they did not translate into the implementation of coercive eugenic practices.

Eugenics Today: Are We Really Past It?

Although eugenics is widely condemned, its influence persists in debates over genetic engineering, reproductive rights, and public health policies. The history of eugenics is a reminder of how scientific ideas, when misused, can lead to horrific consequences.

What do you think about the lasting impact of eugenics? Have you seen modern policies that echo these ideas? Let’s discuss this in the comments.