Ask a Eugenicist

advice [1]974 words

Editor’s Note

Because of the very positive responses to Marian Van Court’s recent essays on eugenics [2], we are running a multi-part series called “Ask a Eugenicist.” If you have other questions for Marian, please post them as comments below or email me at [email protected] [3].  

1. Doesn’t the Declaration of Independence state that all men are created equal?

This is an objection that is frequently brought up. The Declaration of Independence reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This means they are equal before the law, that government can’t (or shouldn’t) take away these fundamental rights. The historical record is quite clear that the Founding Fathers meant equal before the law, not that everyone was born equal in intelligence, talent, or athletic ability. Their other writings amply attest to the fact that they did not believe in biological equality – between individuals, or between races. A number of them were slaveholders. In a letter to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson rejected the aristocracy based on one’s birth as an artificial one, and spoke of “the natural aristocracy of talent and virtue,” which he felt was our country’s most precious gift. (And isn’t that a lovely turn of phrase to express what he valued most highly?) Furthermore, in spite of the great admiration Americans rightfully feel towards the Founding Fathers, even if they had made the assertion that all people are biologically exactly the same (which they didn’t!), then it could be easily demonstrated that science has subsequently proven it to be false.

2. Will the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affect eugenics in America?

It looks like the ACA, popularly called “Obamacare,” will have a significant eugenic effect, although it could be far greater. For example, it covers contraception (except in cases where religious employers ask for an exemption), and it covers abortion except in states which ban abortion. The entire issue of state restrictions on abortion is extremely complicated, but the bottom line is that Pro-Lifers are engaged in massive efforts to block abortion (and often contraception) in any way they can at the state level all across the U.S., and the result of their efforts is severely dysgenic.

Contraception and abortion are vitally important to eugenics. When there are impediments to either – cognitive, financial, or otherwise – most women with intelligence, education, money, and initiative will find a way, whereas many or most women without these qualities will not, reducing the number of people with these positive traits in future generations. Birth control failure on the part of low-IQ women is the main cause of dysgenic fertility, and if all women had easy access to abortion, this would go a long way towards neutralizing the dysgenic effect of birth control failure.

Today, Aid to Families with Dependent Families (AFDC) is the largest component of welfare in America, and it provides a number of benefits, plus a monthly stipend, to unmarried girls and women who become pregnant, and it assists them financially until the child is grown. This program is horribly dysgenic, and it costs taxpayers a fortune. Research shows that the girls who do the worst in high school are the most likely to get pregnant as teenagers, and then rely on welfare, often for life. The extent to which the Affordable Care Act can rectify this situation is not precisely known at this time, but it looks promising.

As most of us have discovered by now, any attempt to delve into the minds of stupid people, crazy people, or (worst of all) stupid-and-crazy people is not an uplifting experience! The Pro-Lifers have absolutely no inkling of all the misery and suffering that their fanaticism + superstition causes. If you ever have the misfortune of encountering some Pro-Lifers, and there is absolutely no chance of escape, and you know that talking to them is hopeless but you just feel like being mean, you might ask them: “Tell me – how do you feel about the fact that God murders “unborn babies”? Yes, that’s right. You see, many conceptions are aborted spontaneously (often women don’t even notice because it happens when their periods come late). And studies have shown that most of these “unborn babies” have genetic defects. Now, since that happens naturally, doesn’t this mean that God is responsible? OK, just tell me this – who else could it be besides God? And if God aborts defective fetuses, shouldn’t we take God’s lead so we can make sure all children are born healthy? Hey – come back here and answer my question!”

3. Is there something inherently bad about having a low IQ?

Yes! The chances for a happy, successful life are considerably reduced because low-IQ people are much more likely to become criminals, chronically dependent on welfare, unemployed, illiterate – in fact, they’re way over-represented in every category of social problems. From the standpoint of our whole society, it’s also bad because these social problems cost taxpayers billions of dollars annually.

The Bell Curve, by Herrnstein and Murray, is a brilliant book. It’s wonderfully well-written, and easy to read. It explains the role of IQ in our society far better than I can here. Anyway, the authors found that when they moved the average IQ of their sample down statistically by just 3 points, from 100 to 97, all social problems were exacerbated: the number of women chronically dependent on welfare increased by 7%; illegitimacy increased by 8%; men interviewed in jail increased by 12%; and the number of permanent high school dropouts increased by nearly 15%.

Everyone should be treated with respect, even retarded people, but compassion requires us to face the fact that they frequently suffer from a variety of problems, and they are a big drain on our economy.