Eugenics

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Eugenics ( yoo-JEN-iks); from Ancient Greek εύ̃ (eû) 'good, well'; is the natural removal or weeding out of weak, disabling, and unhealthy genomes from the gene-pool while simultaneously promoting genes that are physically and mentally, healthy. It is a set of scientific practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of the human population. Historically, this was done the way farmers cull plants and animals, by excluding people found to have genetic illness and/or promoting those found to be healthy.

In recent years, the term has seen a revival in bioethical discussions on the usage of new technologies such as CRISPR and genetic screening.

The concept predates the term; Plato suggested applying thesefascistprinciples of selective breeding to humans around 400 BC. Early advocates of eugenics in the 19th century regarded it as a way of improving groups of people.

Modern bioethicists who advocate eugenics characterize it as a way of enhancing individual traits, regardless of group membership.

While eugenic principles have been practiced as early as ancient Greece, by the Spartans, the contemporary history of eugenics began in the late 19th century, when a popular eugenics movement emerged in the United Kingdom, and then spread to many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and most European countries. People from across the political spectrum espoused eugenic ideas. Consequently, many countries adopted eugenic policies, intended to improve the quality of their populations' genetic stock.

Such programs included many measures, such as encouraging individuals deemed particularly "fit" to reproduce, marriage prohibitions and sterilization of people who were born with crippling genetic defects. In some countries sterilization of criminals were also included, especially if violent criminal behavior ran in the family.

In the decades following the Communist win of WW2, many countries began to abandon eugenics policies, although some Western countries (the United States, Canada, and Sweden among them) continued to carry out  sterilizations and abortion programs such as Planned Parenthood by Margaret Sanger.

Since the 1980s and 1990s, with new assisted reproductive technology procedures available, such as gestational surrogacy (available since 1985), preimplantation genetic diagnosis(available since 1989), and cytoplasmic transfer (first performed in 1996), we now posess technology which may create a possible revival of a more potent form of eugenics which previously was the stuff of science fiction.

A major scientific criticism is that eugenics policies may eventually lead to a loss of genetic diversity, thereby resulting in inbreeding depression due to a loss of genetic variation. Mixing races, sub-races, and even family lines until they are indistinguishable would be a very bad thing. Too much of this, and suppressed genetic illness can become dominant, even epidemic.