Seems like they revised this completely out of the books:
In 1907, Indiana became the first state to pass a law permitting involuntary sterilizations on eugenic grounds; at least 30 states would follow suit. Many of them simply adopted a model “eugenical sterilization law,” crafted by the ERO’s Harry Laughlin, which called for compulsory sterilizations of the “socially inadequate.” By the mid-1920s, more than 3,000 people had been sterilized against their wills. These included the homeless, orphans, epileptics, the blind and deaf. Also sterilized were those who scored poorly on IQ tests, who were diagnosed as being “feebleminded.”
Yes, that happened in the U.S. Ever hear of it, oh U.S. citizens? I hadn’t.
Sixty-five thousand people, up until 1979.
As for the legacy of Harry Laughlin, his model law was adopted by Nazi Germany in 1934 and led to the sterilization of 350,000 German “feebleminded” people. In 1936, Laughlin was honored with a degree from the University of Heidelberg for his efforts in eugenics. By 1940, Germany adopted a policy of euthanasia for German children and adults with birth defects and mental disorders. In 1941, “special actions” were ordered to exterminate Jews, gypsies, and other “undesirable elements.”
Excuse me while I go be sick. I’ll leave you with this, though I hope you’ll go learn more for yourself:
If we are not careful, the current push in this country for biometrics — the use of genetic markers, facial recognition, hand-scanning, fingerprint scanning and eye scanning for identification purposes — may provide a database for future generations who, ignorant of the past, may be condemned to repeat it.
It’s the “ignorant of the past” part that really gets me. How can we learn from our mistakes if we don’t remember them?