Yesterday was Charles Darwin’s birthday. He would have been 204 years old. (Coincidently, it was also Abe Lincoln’s 204th birthday—wow, what are the odds!) Because we are a genetics department and modern genetics wouldn’t be what it is today without his work, we hold a “Darwin Day” celebration every year.
David Axelrod introduces Johanna Schoen.
This year we invited Rutgers own Dr. Johanna Schoen to speak. Johanna is a professor in the history department. She told us a story about her research into the eugenics and sterilization program in the US that started in the early 1900’s and lasted until the 1970’s. About 63,000 people in the US were surgically sterilized during this time. She particularly focused on the program in North Carolina and has published a book and newspaper series on the topic. I found it fascinating, yet appalling. I had no idea this existed.
To give you the quick rundown: For most of the 1900’s at least 30 states had sterilization programs. People who were institutionalized and that were found “unfit” or too “feebleminded” to be parents were recommended for sterilization. This was thought to better our population by preventing the “unfit” from passing their “unfit” genes to the next generation. Johanna focused on the NC program for a number of reasons, but one of them was because it was a program where the person did not have to be in an institution and a social worker could recommend the procedure. Anyone with an IQ of 70 or below qualified. In NC, 7,000 were sterilized, and 84% of them were female. About a third of these were women under the age of 21. The youngest was 9 years old. Most were poor and it appears that there was a strong correlation with receiving government aid and the likelihood that the mother or daughters in the family would be recommended. Often-time incest was involved- the young women were thought to be promiscuous, because they were pregnant (albeit by a family member). This program (and all the others) was law on the books. The politicians thought they were helping build a better society and “fighting against social ilks.” Sounds a bit Hitler-esk, don’t you think? This was the US, it was an active program in NC until 1974! Wild, sad, and tragic. I’m teaching an ethics and genetics course in the fall, and this will definitely be a topic.
We had a discussion about what we do today, and what we will think is ludicrous in 40 years. One of her colleagues thought of how we treat the environment and the doubters out there that don’t think that everything we do affects our biology and the world. I’m betting that’s spot-on. BPA or phthalates anyone?
Johanna cuts the Darwin cake.
Interesting discussions in the LSB atrium after lunch and cake.
