Reply To: Fly the flag of the Confederate States of America?

[DrBob]

Do you have a source to back up your claim that “early Darwinist eugenicists” wrote sterilization laws and not good ole god-fearin’ white guys?

The history of the Eugenics Movement in the United States and elsewhere is one of the best examples of science perpetrating horrific evil on humanity. Over 64,000 people were forcibly sterilized in the U.S. for being disabled, racially undesirable, and/or poor, ultimately with the blessing of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The origins of the movement of course were with Francis Galton, Darwin’s cousin and collaborator. In the U.S., Charles Davenport, the Harvard-educated biologist ran one of the preeminent evolution research labs in the nation at Cold Springs Harbor, NY. It was his partner and collaborator H.H. Laughlin who is generally credited with drafting the model law for compulsory sterilization adopted by many states.

See Farber, S.A. (2008) U.S. Scientists’ Role in the Eugenics Movement (1907-1939): A Contemporary Biologist’s Perspective. National Institute of Health PubMedCentral document PMC2757926.

also Black, E. (2012) War against the weak: Eugenics and America’s campaign to create a Master Race