The Ethics of Genetic Engineering: Is it Eugenics?

This country has had significant history in the area of Eugenics. The 1920’s and 30’s were a time where Eugenics was apart of the popular culture. Everything from church sermons to Saturday night cinemas and even state fair family contests advocated the eugenic ideology of immigration restriction, race segregation and sterilization of those considered to be inferior and infiltrating the “fit” population. This popular movement was started by Galton in England, a cousin of Charles Darwin, when he coined the term “well-born”. Scientists formed the group the American Breeders Association where they did research trying to validate the hereditary differences found amongst different people. At the forefront of this movement were very influential men such as Mr. Kellogg who created the Race Betterment Foundation. Nonetheless this movement reached high tide until the 1960s where multiple states upheld a eugenics policy sterilizing up to 60,000 people. While this form of eugenics is forever engrained in the history of America some argue that eugenics continue to pervade the US today. This form has cleverly hidden itself in the form of scientific study and innovation. This new form of eugenics is genetic engineering.