Eugenics in Practice

            In Indiana two years ago, then Governor Mike Pence signed a bill banning abortions for reasons of sex, race, or disability. For example, a woman would have been prohibited from aborting a fetus because it has Down Syndrome. But a federal appeals court sided with abortion rights advocates and ruled against the bill. It was then bumped up to the Supreme Court, which has put off ruling on it.

            Justice Clarence Thomas commented that the court, having created a right to abortion (in Roe vs. Wade) is going to have to rule on the its scope eventually. In the meantime, he accused opponents of the Indiana law of hypocrisy, insisting that aborting a baby because it has Down Syndrome smacks of eugenics.

            Eugenics is the science of improving the genetic quality of the human population. Selective breeding, if you will. The Nazis practiced it in trying to achieve a purified Germanic race. So did China when it forced the abortion of girl babies.

            Abortionists are up in arms, saying they oppose eugenics. But Thomas has a point. The termination rate for babies with Down Syndrome is already estimated to be around 67% in this country. In the UK the rate is 90%, in Denmark 98%, and in Iceland 100%. In fact, Iceland allows abortion after 16 weeks of any fetus with a deformity. This sounds very much like eugenics to me. Is this where we’re headed?