What Is Eugenics? Tracing the Roots of Ableism and Racism in America Part I of II

The Later Years

Throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, eugenics reared its ugly head in a variety of subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways. People of color and people with disabilities continued to be involuntarily sterilized, marriage bans stayed on the books, and anti-immigrant sentiment began to fan the flames of white supremacy. As Latinx people began migrating to the US, they were often faced with forced sterilization, ableism, and heightened rates of incarceration. For more information on the sterilization campaign against Latina women in California in the 1970s, check out the court case Madrigal v. Quilligan.

At the same time, technology around health and reproduction was rocketing forward at an unprecedented rate. We discovered better techniques to support disabled people with complex medical needs, eliminated some disabling childhood diseases such as polio, and the science of genetics was burgeoning. The de-institutionalization movement had arrived, and people with disabilities were beginning to be fully seen in the public eye.  New social systems were put in place to support people with disabilities living independently; it was a breath of fresh air for the first time in history. The ADA was passed in 1990 as a result of remarkable advocacy by disabled individuals.  The law made it illegal in the US to discriminate on the basis of disability.

Medical device advances, including power wheelchairs and better and more portable breathing equipment were big gains for the disability community.  Neonatal health and a massive reduction in childhood mortality due to disease helped many survive who wouldn’t have before, creating more chances for people with disabilities to live and thrive. But our discovery of genetics is complex in its implications, and the field is still unfolding. Genetic testing became available, and genetic roots or predispositions for many disabilities came into sharper focus. Along with that came prenatal testing, with parents able to choose whether they would carry to term a pregnancy that tested positive for genetically-linked disabilities.

We are still learning how these advances have affected the disability community at large. Though some people may be influenced by eugenic thinking, pregnancy and childbearing is intensely personal. A core tenet of disability rights is bodily autonomy, or the rights of each person to decide what happens with their own body.

 

Modern Eugenics

With all that history and context in mind, let’s take a step back and look at the state of eugenics in the United States today. Reproductive freedom is under attack, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the increasing pressures against birth control by this administration.  At the same time, immigrants are being targeted for deportation. This affects the disability community on several levels—it is taking away our community members, along with our healthcare and PCA staff, and it is a clear warning bell about eugenic thinking. White supremacist and eugenic ideas are on the rise, with the “great replacement” theory gaining more popularity and traction among politicians in the US. Powerful people like Elon Musk are such great subscribers to these theories that they have as many (white) babies as possible, to pass on their “good” genes, as they seek to rid the country of people of color.

Institutionalization of the disabled seems to be another goal of this administration. Through a combination of defunding social safety nets and an increased focus on incarceration, people with disabilities will be forced back into institutions by a lack of resources elsewhere. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the current head of Health and Human Services, has been systematically destroying the mechanisms we have in place to support people with disabilities, while spouting unproven theories about autism and other disabilities that serve to stigmatize and endanger people. He has villainized disabled people, characterizing us as unable to work, unable to contribute, and unable to participate in society.

There is even discussion of sending people with disabilities to “wellness farms” to work in the agricultural positions that, until now, have been staffed by immigrants. These roles are often not suited to people with disabilities. This administration insists that people with disabilities do not work. Yet they’re making work requirements necessary for receiving services. Those services, which include healthcare and food assistance, are essential for disabled individuals.  The system is creating a road block for the very people who need services most. All of these forces are pushing people with disabilities back into the shadows, and into the institutions that were so common until the 1960s and 70s. We cannot, and we will not, go back.

Thank you for taking the time to read this series. Having cultural and historical context for the eugenics movement helps us better understand not only the complexities of our current social situation, but also what’s at stake. A resurgence of eugenics has been building slowly since the Second World War, and it is not without precedent. As the authors of our future, we must speak up and create a society where eugenics is a concept of the past, and people of every ability, race, and gender can live freely, without fear.

Rachael Cowan
Systems Change Advocate, Stavros CIL