Type of Submission

Poster

Keywords

Involuntary sterilization, forced sterilization, sterilization, civil rights, developmental disabilities, rights, ethics, United States, eugenics movement

Abstract

The civil rights of individuals with development disabilities have been a great challenge to protect throughout the United States’ history. The United States has not held the protection of this population’s civil rights with proper priority. The country’s actions towards the population of individuals with development disabilities carried into the 20th century, when individuals with mental disabilities were involuntarily sterilized in the name of eugenics. Currently, the goal of the sterilization of this population is for their protection, yet forced sterilization continues to be a questionable practice in regards to ethics. In this paper, I will claim that the forced sterilization of individuals with developmental disabilities is unethical on the basis of the intrinsic worth and dignity of all people. Forced sterilization of individuals with developmental disabilities objectifies the individual and denies their dignity. It infringes on their autonomy and leads to an erosion of human rights; such as those protected in the United States Declaration of Independence. This paper outlines the history of the sterilization of individuals with developmental disabilities and the effect it has had in relation to the eugenics movement as it swept through the United States into current day. Opposing views are given a voice. The paper concludes with the effects which taking away a person’s most basic civil rights has on any society. Part of Bioethics Colloquium

Faculty Sponsor or Advisor’s Name

Dennis Sullivan

Campus Venue

Stevens Student Center

Location

Cedarville, OH

Start Date

4-1-2015 11:00 AM

End Date

4-1-2015 2:00 PM

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.