relevant to the idea of voluntary but coerced sterilizations:
This woman pays drug users not to have kids – VICE News
The idea of voluntary sterilization as a tool of suppressing specific populations is a whole topic unto itself though... back on the subject of the original article and what it reveals, which is much closer to the idea of eugenics as a systemic way of suppressing certain characteristics deemed "undesirable."
In a related note, I'd ask if anyone has an opinion on how far apart the ideas are between forcing sterilization on someone considered handicapped, aborting a fetus once a genetic abnormality is recognized, and using pre-natal screening to artificially select for specific traits? And how are these methods much different from animal husbandry or selective breeding in plants and animals for pets and agricultural purposes. Is it a spectrum on which there is a clear demarcation between what you'd consider acceptable and where you'd draw the line?
Now, what do you consider to be an "undesirable" trait? Is it if the pregnancy is guaranteed to have complications that would threaten the mother's life? Is it a debilitating genetic disease that will cause them immense suffering, greatly reduce their viability as a fetus or shorten their life? Is it a mental or physical retardation that would render them incapable of caring for themselves (and thus considered a burden on society)? Is it a compromised sense, such as deafness or blindness? Is it a chemical dependency caused by their mother's addiction to drugs? Is it having the wrong colored skin, hair, or eyes? Is it having the wrong gender? At what point did this list start making you uncomfortable?
As an aside, I'm reminded of a project I worked on as a college student, started by some special-ed teachers to help teach important concepts like "good touch, bad touch," and how to report improper behavior to a trusted adult. They came to our class with some shocking statistics, that children with developmental disabilities were nearly
5 times more likely to be abused, and almost
6 and a half times more likely to be sexually abused than their peers. (edit: I wasn't sure if the project was still active, but at least they still have a web presence at
Safe Life Project )
With developmental challenges, one's ability to consent (and report abuse) may be compromised, which makes me wonder, of all those abortions and sterilizations performed, how many of them covered up cases of sexual abuse...
These are dark, difficult questions to ask, but if we are to have any sort of productive, meaningful conversation, we must face our own concepts of morality and personal autonomy.
