CO
I would thoroughly recommend people to listen to the BBC Radio 4 documentary on the topic of eugenics in the
Why Did We Do That
series.
<http://www.bbc.co.UK/radio4/history/why_did_we_do_that.shtml>
The program can be heard in RealMedia (tm) format from
<http://www.bbc.co.UK/radio4/history/ram/why_did_we_do_that_20030616.ram>
<http://www.bbc.co.UK/radio4/history/why_did_we_do_that.shtml>
Quote:
Programme 3: The Eugenic Temptation (2003-06-16)
In the early decades of the twentieth century the elites of British society were swept by a belief which, by the later twentieth century, would cause widespread revulsion. Eugenics - the control of human reproduction - was this intellectual and political craze.
The programme explores how thinkers from the political left and right, famous individuals ranging from Winston Churchill to birth control pioneer Marie Stopes, saw state involvement in reproduction as essential to reshape the population, preventing poorer social groups from having so many children and "weakening the race", while encouraging the more affluent and educated to breed more. The mentally ill were singled out for special treatment, with their sterilisation advocated by many influential voices.
Only when Nazism showed where such ideas could lead did eugenics fall from favour, and yet there were continuities with some postwar thinking about social change.
In the early decades of the twentieth century the elites of British society were swept by a belief which, by the later twentieth century, would cause widespread revulsion. Eugenics - the control of human reproduction - was this intellectual and political craze.
The programme explores how thinkers from the political left and right, famous individuals ranging from Winston Churchill to birth control pioneer Marie Stopes, saw state involvement in reproduction as essential to reshape the population, preventing poorer social groups from having so many children and "weakening the race", while encouraging the more affluent and educated to breed more. The mentally ill were singled out for special treatment, with their sterilisation advocated by many influential voices.
Only when Nazism showed where such ideas could lead did eugenics fall from favour, and yet there were continuities with some postwar thinking about social change.
The program can be heard in RealMedia (tm) format from
<http://www.bbc.co.UK/radio4/history/ram/why_did_we_do_that_20030616.ram>
JO
Did not the NASDP government of Germany have a policy of eradicating babies, and later adults, with deformtities?
<http://www.iearn.ORG/hgp/aeti/aeti-1998-no-frames/handicapped.htm>
<http://tfn.NET/holocaust/2002/finkelstein.html#anchor65339>
I meant that I understand if some people can't cope because of this condition. WHat annoys me is this attitude from some people is that " I don't want it so I don't really care"
Corin posted:
Johnny83 posted:
I can understand it more if the child has terrible deformities which would mean a bad quality of life for the baby when born
Did not the NASDP government of Germany have a policy of eradicating babies, and later adults, with deformtities?
<http://www.iearn.ORG/hgp/aeti/aeti-1998-no-frames/handicapped.htm>
<http://tfn.NET/holocaust/2002/finkelstein.html#anchor65339>
I meant that I understand if some people can't cope because of this condition. WHat annoys me is this attitude from some people is that " I don't want it so I don't really care"