Eugenics

Eugenics (/juːˈdʒɛnɪks/ yoo-JEN-iks; from Ancient Greek εύ̃ (eû) 'good, well' and -γενής (genḗs) 'born, come into being, growing/grown')^[1] is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population.^[2][3][4] Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fertility of those considered inferior, or promoting that of those considered superior.^[5]

The contemporary history of eugenics began in the late 19th century, when a popular eugenics movement emerged in the United Kingdom,^[6] and then spread to many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia,^[7] and most European countries (e.g. Sweden and Germany). In this period, people from across the political spectrum espoused eugenics. Many countries adopted eugenic policies intended to improve the quality of their populations.

Historically, the idea of eugenics has been used to argue for a broad array of practices ranging from prenatal care for mothers deemed genetically desirable to the forced sterilization and murder of those deemed unfit.^[5] To population geneticists, the term has included the avoidance of inbreeding without altering allele frequencies; for example, British-Indian scientist J. B. S. Haldane wrote in 1940 that "the motor bus, by breaking up inbred village communities, was a powerful eugenic agent."^[8] Debate as to what qualifies as eugenics continues today.^[9] Early eugenicists were mostly concerned with factors of measured intelligence that often correlated strongly with social class and racial stereotypes.

Although it originated as a progressive social movement in the 19th century,^{[10][11][12][13]} in the 21st century the term became closely associated with scientific racism. New liberal eugenics seeks to dissociate itself from the old authoritarian varieties by rejecting coercive state programs in favor of individual parental choice.^[14]