Eugenics Podcast

Eugenics is a controversial topic that aims to improve society by controlling reproduction and eliminating certain genetic traits. It gained support in the early 20th century and led to forced sterilizations in the United States and the extreme actions of Nazi Germany. While eugenics is no longer active, ethical concerns remain as new genetic technologies like CRISPR emerge. However, there are also potential benefits to genetic advancements, such as targeted treatments for genetic disorders and personalized medicine. It is important to learn from the mistakes of eugenics and use genetics for the betterment of society. CRISPR technology shows promise in gene editing and potentially eliminating genetic diseases. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Gene Talk program. I'm Alex, and welcome to my show, alongside with my co-hosts, Jesse and Ahmad. Today, we are diving into a topic that has shaped not only the history of genetics, but also society's views on human improvement, which is eugenics. That's right, Alex. It is one of those subjects that provokes torture, as you might well know. It is a pretty interesting task, I would say, but at the same time, we must know where these tools of view came from and how they developed. Exactly. Eugenics is connected with science. This is a very big topic, and we are going to try as much as possible to explain it to you guys today. In this week's show, we are going to look at the history of eugenics and learn how it evolved and the impacts of ethics and its relevance to the present. Of course. We are going to focus on some of the recent genetic technologies that produce new ethical issues as well. Well, if you are ready for some serious learning and to discover the truth, then sit down and let's begin. Let's start with the basics. Eugenics is associated with one of the most ethically questionable ideologies of the 20th century. It is a method of supporting the adjustment of the populace's genetic makeup to eradicate poverty, diseases, and criminal activity. Politicians, other government agencies, scientists, and even social reformers started endorsing the concept. They said that the purpose of society was to control reproduction and to fix the so-called defects. That's right, Jesse. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. The idea was to make society better than it already was. This idea received a lot of support, and by the beginning of the 20th century, eugenics had become a hot topic, as it was fully embraced in some regions of America, as well as parts of Europe. Eugenics was seen as a method of supporting the adjustment of the populace's genetic makeup to eradicate poverty, diseases, and criminal activity. Politicians, other government agencies, scientists, and even social reformers started to enforce this concept. They said that the purpose of society was to control reproduction and to fix the so-called defects. That is, until businesses started regarding eugenics in a different light. They thought it was a lucrative opportunity for them. Eugenicists were doing things fundamentally wrong. They thought that features such as intelligence, morality, criminality, etc. were strictly genetic and that people with degenerative characteristics would be amended. Exactly, Jesse. In many places, this resulted in sterilization. For instance, in the United States, thousands of women, men with disabilities, members of queer communities, and indigenous people of color were sterilized. They were considered unfit to procreate. In 1927, there was a Supreme Court case called Buck v. Bell, where a woman named Carrie Buck was in a mental institution, where this ruling promoted that the idea of sterilizing people with disabilities, mental illnesses, and those with weak traits was allowed. This court case has still yet to be overturned. After this ruling, thousands of people were sterilized in the United States. Of course, the most notorious example of this was Nazi Germany. It was the Nazis that really pushed it to an extreme with the sterilization of anyone they deemed unfit. They murdered millions of people in the Holocaust, especially Jewish people. However, it is important to know that the idea was not only associated with Nazi Germany. It was common elsewhere, too. It is now known that the Nazis did not invent this, but copied it from other countries. Although this movement is no longer as active as it once was, ethical concerns still exist as we look at how new genetic tools like CRISPR editing are being used today. We're again brought back to the question of just how much influence we should have over human genes, and if we are doomed to repeat these mistakes again. Exactly, Iman. Eugenics is a perfect example of how science can be put to evil use and can be biased by prejudice. It serves as a reminder that with any genetic development, we must be careful and respect human rights. Next, we'll dive into scientific misconceptions. There's also a misunderstanding between genotypes and phenotypes. For example, do you know what type is your genetic code? The phenotype is how you actually turn out from your genes and environment. For instance, a person may be born with genes for height, but if he or she does not receive proper nutrition in early childhood, that person probably will never grow to those heights. Their parents also didn't fully appreciate gene differentiation as well. Eugenicists were obsessed with uniformity, thinking that they would make the population better. This is why diversity is so important for populations to function, grow, and to be able to develop. Quaker Mendel introduced Mendelian genetics in the 1800s, where he showed that there are heritable traits that can be passed on from parent to offspring. One of the worst uses of Mendelian genetics was on the side of people advocating for sterilization policies. The disabled or mentally ill were considered by eugenics advocates to be feeble-minded and had to be sterilized in order not to pass their assumed feeble genes. This led to a great deal of what one might regard as early unethical practices. Forced sterilizations were what eugenics did to make society better by removing undesirable populations' right to reproduction. They were really just employing science for the goal of prejudice. Eugenicists used these ideas, using them to say that some races are genetically inferior to others. They even thought that crime and poverty were due to hereditary factors rather than environmental factors. It was clear that they were not promoting science and were promoting ideas of racism instead. An example of this is evident in World War II, where the Nazis aimed to create a perfect race known as the Aryan race. In trying to do so, they also had what they called the T4 program, where they aimed to kill people who had incurable illnesses, were physically or mentally disabled, were emotionally troubled, and even those who were elderly. That is why it remains crucial to recall eugenicists' experiences while developing new genetic technologies. Next, we're going to get into the positives and the potential benefits of eugenics. We talked a lot about the dark side of eugenics and the misconceptions surrounding it, but it's also important to recognize that not all ideas can hurt society and may actually hold some benefits. We've used eugenics as an example. We know of technologies that allow us to target specific genetic disorders and correct them at a DNA level. This can help cure diseases like cystic fibrosis, production of dendrites, and they're well better than eugenics in the past because they allow for the treatment of improving quality of life rather than controlling serially reductive risks. Another area where we're seeing potential is genomic sequencing. This technology allows us to map out a person's entire genetic code, which can help find risks for some diseases before they even show up. These findings can allow us to make specialized medicine where doctors can create treatments based on a person's genetic makeup, leading to a better and more effective treatment. There is also cognitive advancement, which has many advantages. While eugenicists go on believing that intelligence can be bred, studies have shown that genes that target functional interventions could be done to prevent neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. Ethical enhancements are also possible because modern genetics will be able to help us add desirable traits to improve society. Just imagine the possibility of genetically enhancing how people deal with stress or even enhancing memory. It is not a question of what we have, but how we use it. If we use a genetic advancement for the curing of diseases and serve humanity in improving quality of life, giving equal opportunities to all, then we can learn from our mistakes and we can move it in the right direction. Before we dive into our next topic, we'd like to take a moment to thank today's sponsor, GeneGenius. Are you tired of your genes holding you back? Wish you could upgrade your DNA the way you upgrade your phone? Well, GeneGenius, the future of genetics, is in your hands. With GeneGenius, you can explore your genetic potential with our simple at-home gene testing kit. Curious about your risk factors for disease? Want to know if you've got the genes for marathon running or brain power to rival Einstein? Well, GeneGenius has you covered. And don't worry, GeneGenius is all about ethics. We believe in empowering people to understand their genes without making any changes you didn't ask for. Now let's speak to some technological advancements associated with deeper studies of genetics. Of course, one of the coolest is CRISPR technology. It's a device tool that enables scientists to do an incredible degree of gene editing and accuracy. It's also competitive with molecular scissors because we can literally cut out specific segments of DNA and remove or replace or repair them. It's a technology that perhaps in the future will enable us to maybe eliminate genetic diseases such as Huntington's or sickle cell anemia. What is going to be really interesting about CRISPR is its versatility. We're talking about curing diseases. Theoretically, it could be applied for all from agriculture development and new medical breakthroughs to engineering immune cells which can fight cancer. Yet it is in this that the revolutionary nature of CRISPR lies in the fact that it's far more accessible than those before in gene editing. That is, it was cheaper, faster, and more accurate, really democratizing its use in labs around the world for a variety of research. But of course, with much power comes much responsibility. We already witnessed the beginning of ethical debates regarding the length to which we should take CRISPR, especially in editing human embryos or creating designer babies. Genetic modifications could harm the baby's life as they grow or they could promote certain traits to be superior to others. While the use of CRISPR to prevent genetic diseases may be one thing, that of enhancement of traits into intelligent or physical appearance is quite another, with ethical dilemmas likely to arise. For example, if the question was, who gets to decide which traits are worthy of enhancement? What about those who cannot afford the enhancements? Excellent strides, but I think this is going to be social imbalance if applied to one group and if the other group is deprived of these. The other huge development we are seeing is in genomic sequencing. Today, we can map the complete genome of a person. It might give us some clue for prevention. This may allow us to understand various responses that give the people the medication. This may be a treatment that is effective in a serious benefit because doctors can collect medication depending on the particular person's genetic makeup. Another very exciting area of genetic advancements is gene therapy. We have already begun to see its potential in dealing with certain forms of generic disorders by directly attacking those underlying issues, such as some types of blindness brought on by malfunctioning genes, wherein gene therapy has been able to restore partial vision in patients who are blind. Neither would I nor one of us discussing the research on stem cells and how it could be a powerful genetic development. After all, these stem cells have the potential for a myriad of cell types. The currently important tissue regeneration is much to the new avenues of disease treatment. It is all these technologies that will take us further ahead in time to move closer to the cure of genetic disorders. That's a powerful technology, but it's our responsibility to make sure that we are using it in a way that is ethical for the benefit of each and every person. Now, to switch it up a bit, we have a question from the audience, which is, given how terrible a history genetics had, why are we still talking about it today? Even in history, as crazy as eugenics has been, it has ethical problems. We're still talking about it because some of the questions being posed in genetics and society are, in fact, more relevant than ever. With technologies like CRISPR and gene therapy becoming more popular, it is now up to us how much control we should have over human genetics. Science has grown, but these ethical questions remain. We have to be really cautious not to repeat the mistakes of the past. It is all about finding the balance. We are taking lessons from the past and making sure today's advancements are ethical and won't cause harm. In the United States, there is no existing legislation that bans gene editing experiments on humans. However, the FDA has to approve any trial that involves gene editing beforehand. There should be some legislation that clearly determines whether or not gene editing is ethical and if it is safe, if it is what safe gene editing would look like, and further research should be done to see the prolonged effect of gene editing on humans. To conclude today's episode, one thing is for sure, eugenics has a big role in genetics and society in general. Science will always evolve and opportunities and challenges come with this evolution. We've come a long way with eugenics, but concerns are still with us today. Advanced genetics gave us many tools to shape the future of medicine. With all this power comes great responsibility. Agreed. The aim should be bettering health and well-being, and the promise of genetics towards a better healthcare is bright. And well, that's about it for today's episode. Thanks for listening in today as we took a look into the world of eugenics, and we all hope that this discussion has given you something to think as this topic gets more and more interesting.