Compulsory sterilization is a government policy that mandates sterilization of certain individuals for specific conditions. Historically, several nations have had mandatory sterilization laws as part of negative eugenics programs. Eugenics suggests improving the human race through selective breeding. The United States, India, China, Germany, and Sweden have all practiced compulsory sterilization at some point in history. Forced sterilization can also be found, with little choice given to individuals.
Compulsory sterilization is a government policy that mandates the sterilization of certain individuals under specific conditions. Historically, several nations have had mandatory book sterilization laws as part of a negative eugenics program, designed to ensure that some people do not contribute to the gene pool. When compulsory sterilization is systematically practiced against a particular group, it is considered a crime against humanity.
Eugenics is a field of study that suggests that it is possible to improve the human race through selective breeding. Just as when animals are bred, selective breeding of humans involves selecting specific individuals for their positive traits and encouraging them to have children, and discouraging pregnancy among individuals who are perceived as undesirable. When eugenics involves the active promotion of traits deemed beneficial, it is referred to as positive eugenics. Negative eugenics involves limiting entry to the gene pool.
Most mandatory sterilization laws mandated sterilization for people such as residents of mental institutions, repeat offenders, people considered “immoral,” and people with disabilities. Often, such laws also targeted the lower classes, in the belief that people living in poverty would have a negative effect on human genetic makeup. Under a mandatory sterilization law, men and women could be sterilized without consent, and sometimes without their knowledge; for example, a woman undergoing routine surgery might have a tubal ligation done at the same time.
The United States, India, China, Germany and Sweden have all practiced compulsory sterilization at some point in history, among many other nations. Germany is perhaps most infamous for its compulsory sterilization policies, designed to maintain the purity of the so-called Aryan race. In some cases, compulsory sterilization legislation was only struck off the books in 1990, although the practice had largely been abolished long before that.
Compulsory sterilization is usually performed through surgical means, but it can also take the form of chemical castration, which inhibits sexual desire and prevents reproduction. Both surgical and chemical methods applied without consent are generally seen as a violation of human rights around the world, although some nations support the use of chemical castration for sexual offences.
In addition to compulsory sterilization, forced sterilization can also be found. In the case of forced sterilization, someone is not obligated to be sterilized outright, but given little choice. India and China have both been accused of using forced sterilization as a method of population control and as a political tool to target ethnic and religious minorities.
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