Pros And Cons Of Eugenics

Domesticated plants and animals are an important part of human life, and without eugenics there would be none. However, the validity of eugenics being used on people has been debated from a moral perspective since its creation, but even if it was morally justified eugenics would not work the way people expect it would. According to Merriam-Webster, the full definition of eugenics is, “a science that deals with the improvement (as by control of human mating) of hereditary qualities of a race or breed,” (Merriam-Webster). What must be noted is that, along with the improvement of some hereditary qualities there is detriment to others. Despite its usefulness in developing domesticated plants and animals, eugenics is not a viable option for improving

The case of Buck v. Bell, which started as Buck v. Priddy in a Board of the Colony meeting in Virginia, was a ruling from the US Supreme Court on May 2, 1927 that approved of the eugenic sterilization of Carrie Buck and set a precedent for the rest of the country (Buck v Bell). Her only crime was being labeled an imbecile, a word used far too often during the time (Mukherjee 78-84). After the ruling more than thirty of the fifty states adopted laws pertaining to sterilization which led to the sterilization of more than 60,000 people. The practice of sterilization of American citizens that were deemed lesser continued in some states into the 1970s (Kaelber). However, most eugenics advocates in the United States were stymied in the 1940s when the Allies won World War

For instance pedigree dogs, which are known to have more genetic disorders that are inherited from years of inbreeding that the extent of is only being realized because of genetic screening, but fixing this is going to take a lot of work, money, and it still may be too late for some of these breeds (Farrell). To create genetic diversity quickly in these breeds it will require breeding away from similar genetics which will most likely cause the next generation to be a mixed breed and defeat the purpose of the eugenics behind purebreds. In a study done of the medical records from the veterinary clinic at UC Davis it was found that out of twenty four genetic diseases, ten were found to significantly be found more often in purebreds than in mixed breed dogs, one was found significantly more often in mixed breed dogs, and thirteen had no significant difference, but all except one were found more in purebred dogs (Beuchat). Breeders of purebred dogs have bred these animals into a genetic corner, and it is greatly affecting their lives, and this is not always for practicality but also for aesthetic. For example dogs like bulldogs with flattened faces have shorter face bones which impairs their breathing causing increased damage over time (Rozanski). There is no reason for these dogs to continue to be bred for these traits with are causing them to die young. This decrease in the