A Century of Eugenics in America: From the Indiana Experiment to the Human Genome Era

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Edited by Paul A. Lombardo From the Indiana Experiment to the Human Genome Era E in e A g m i c u E r y A Ce ntu ry of E u ge nic s in Am e rica Lombardo INDIANA University Press Bloomington & Indianapolis iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796 Indiana Bioethics and the Humanities Eric M. Meslin and Richard B. Miller, editors Bioethics U.S. History “A most important volume and a significant contribution to the field, [the book] will serve both experts and the general public in parsing the difficult issues raised by a transformed eugenics in the 21st century.” Steven Selden, University of Maryland “A groundbreaking achievement in the historiography of American eugenics.” Joanne Woiak, University of Washington In 1907, Indiana passed the world’s first involuntary sterilization law based on the theory of eugenics. In time, more than thirty states and a dozen foreign countries followed suit. Although the Indiana statute was later declared unconstitutional , other laws restricting immigration and regulating marriage on “eugenic” grounds were still in effect in the U.S. as late as the 1970s. A Century of Eugenics in America assesses the history of eugenics in the United States and its status in the age of the Human Genome Project. The essays explore the early support of compulsory sterilization by doctors and legislators; the implementation of eugenic schemes in Indiana, Georgia, California, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Alabama; the legal and social challenges to sterilization; and the prospects for a eugenics movement basing its claims on modern genetic science. Paul A. Lombardo is Professor of Law at Georgia State University College of Law. He is author of Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Eugenics, the Supreme Court, and Buck v. Bell. u a c n e r c a n t s i of CenturyEAmec.indd 1 11/8/10 9:54 AM A century of Eugenics in America Bioethics a nd the Hum a nities Er ic M. Meslin and R ichar d B. Miller, editors Indiana University Press Bloomington & Indianapolis E in e A g m i c u E r y u a c n e r c a n t s i of From the Indiana Experiment to the Human Genome Era Edited by Paul A. Lomba r do This book is a publication of Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA iupress.indiana.edu Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931 Orders by e-mail iuporder@indiana.edu© 2011 by Indiana University Press All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. ∞ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.481992 . Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A century of eugenics in America : from the Indiana experiment to the human genome era / edited by Paul A. Lombardo. p. ; cm. — (Bioethics and the humanities) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-253-35574-4 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-22269-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Eugenics—United States— History—20th century. I. Lombardo, Paul A. II. Series: Bioethics and the humanities. [DNLM: 1. Human Genome Project. 2. Eugenics—history—United States. 3. Eugenics—legislation & jurisprudence —United States. 4. History, 20th Century—United States. 5. History, 21st Century—United States. 6. Sterilization, Involuntary—history—United States. 7. Sterilization, Involuntary—legislation & jurisprudence—United States. HQ 755.5.U5 C397 2010] HQ755.5.U5.C46 2010 363.9’2—dc22 2010020427 1 2 3 4 5 16 15 14 13 12 11 For Conni, Chris, and Clar e ...