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Eugenic Values

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Daniel Wilker
Daniel Wilker
Affiliation:
Department of History of Medicine Madison Medical School University of Wisconsin
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Abstract

Eugenics is generally regarded as evil; but what was its sin? Racism, class bias, and violation of reproductive freedom, which tainted objectionable eugenic interventions, are not part of the core notion of eugenics. A number of candidates have been suggested as the wrong inherent in eugenics, ranging from statism to the impossibility of consensus on the ideal human being. It is most plausible to view eugenics as sharing moral dilemmas with much of public health, and the critical issues as those of distributive justice.

Information

Type
Genetic Services Eugenic Practices?
Information
Science in Context , Volume 11 , Issue 3-4 , Autumn-Winter 1998 , pp. 455 - 470
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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