Joe Biel

Understanding Eugenics Joe Biel

The "science" of eugenics--by which the genetic makeup of a population is controlled by who does and doesn't reproduce--is forever tied in popular memory with Nazi Germany. But the practice began in late 19th-century England, and was widely embraced in the US, Canada, and Europe. As a result, policies were enacted that touched on segregation, marriage, birth control, and genocide. Eugenicists were obsessed with race and disability--many current genetic-testing practices are a continuation of that unfortunate era. This zine gives a harrowing hidden history and present state of eugenics, wrought with its moral and scientific implications.