In this blog post, we will look at the history and modern variations of eugenics and consider how genetic selection can threaten the dignity and equality of humanity.
Nowadays, many people in the United States are worried about racism based on white supremacy, and in fact, there have been incidents of ruthless assaults on black people. This situation should be treated more seriously because it is rooted in social structures and historical backgrounds, rather than simply being an individual problem. Racism is an act that considers a certain race to be inferior and justifies the violation of their rights, and it is a challenge to equality and justice in human society. The number of historical examples has proven how much tragedy racism has caused.
The most representative example of racial discrimination is the Nazi genocide of the Jews. The Nazis mercilessly massacred the Jews in order to create a superior German race. Such cruel acts are not simply the result of racial hatred, but also the result of a combination of erroneous ideologies, ideas, and social atmosphere that support it. At the heart of these Nazi atrocities was the science of eugenics.
Eugenics is a discipline that was first established by the Englishman Francis Galton in 1883, and it is a discipline that argues that humans should intervene in evolution for the purpose of improving the species. Galton argued that humans should take responsibility for their own evolution, increase the number of beneficial classes in the human species, and reduce the number of harmful classes. To this end, all conditions and factors related to the occurrence of people with physical or mental defects became the focus of research. This idea was accepted by many people in the absence of scientific knowledge at the time, and was even seen as having progressive and humanitarian goals.
As eugenics became popular, eugenic policies were implemented in the United States, Germany, and other countries. In the United States, in particular, the influx of numerous immigrants in the early 20th century led to increased racial conflict and social unrest, and under these circumstances, eugenics was exploited as a means of excluding or suppressing certain races or classes. The Nazis in Germany pushed this ideology to an even more extreme point, resulting in the tragic consequences of ethnic cleansing and genocide. However, there was a strong backlash from society, and as the development of genetics later revealed the lack of scientific basis for eugenics, eugenics began to gradually decline. However, its influence did not disappear easily.
In modern times, eugenics has once again gained attention for the purpose of treating genetic diseases or enhancing traits in individuals. In the past, parents who spread certain genes were the targets of selection, but in modern times, the newly born children are the targets of selection. Therefore, parents have voluntarily decided to have abortions or undergo genetic treatments. In this process, the concept of eugenics has been transformed into a more sophisticated form, but the essential problem still exists.
With the new popularization of eugenics, a new ethical problem has emerged. It is the problem of life being taken lightly as it is now possible to abort a fetus through prenatal testing. This ethical dilemma goes beyond a simple question of individual choice and poses an important question about how society as a whole views life and human dignity. We need to think carefully about the long-term social and ethical implications of using such technology.
I am on the opposite side of this debate. The main reason for my opposition is that even though the fetus has not yet come into the world, it is a living being. Therefore, terminating a pregnancy just because there is a genetic abnormality is tantamount to murder. Becoming a parent and creating a new life is a blessing in itself and should be treated with care. It is never desirable to kill a fetus because of human selfishness. Also, I think it is unfair that parents are given the right to choose their children when the fetus does not have the right to choose its parents. This raises fundamental questions about human dignity and the value of life.
If this phenomenon is repeated, it will create a situation of genetic supremacy. This could lead to discrimination based on new criteria such as appearance or intelligence, which could cause serious social divisions. Even genetic diseases that occur in old age are subject to discrimination, and people who are living normally are discriminated against simply because they have the genes for genetic diseases. This will result in the creation of new discrimination in a society that is trying to eliminate discrimination. We need to conduct more thorough social and ethical reviews to prevent these problems.
Proponents of such technologies based on eugenics argue that they are necessary for the advancement of humanity. They say that it is possible to create superior species by leaving only good genes and eliminating bad genes, which is the same as natural selection as argued by Darwin, so there is nothing wrong with it. They also argue that parents should be given the right to choose a child because having a child with a disability is a great financial and mental burden for parents. While such claims may seem reasonable on the surface, they hide a very dangerous ethical trap.
If such rights are granted, the rights of the fetus should also be guaranteed from the perspective that the fetus is a living being. In addition, I believe that the solution to the difficulties faced by parents with disabilities should not be to eliminate people with disabilities, but rather that the state should move toward improving welfare policies for people with disabilities and encouraging a change in people’s perceptions. This is an important task to protect the socially vulnerable and to uphold the basic ethics that all human beings should be respected as beings with dignity.
Eugenics had the intention and goal of advancing humanity when it was first created, and in this respect, it can be positively evaluated. However, many human rights issues have arisen in the process, and they are still continuing in new forms. While technological advancements can bring many benefits to humanity, it is more important than ever to maintain human dignity in the process. We must strive to take on ethical and social responsibilities along with technological advancements and create a better future.
