Eugenics and Disability
Many of the earliest philanthropists in the U.S. were significant ideological and financial supporters of the eugenics movement. According to The New Statesman, “Funding for the eugenics cause came from such distinguished sources as the Carnegie Institution and the WK Kellogg Foundation, and support also came from the influential leaders of the oil, steel and railroad industries.”
Philanthropy must reckon with its history with eugenics in order to meaningfully move toward an equitable and actively anti-ableist future. To begin, we encourage you to explore the following resources as a starting point for understanding the history and impact of eugenics on disabled people, especially those who are multi-marginalized.
Overviews
- When America believed in eugenics by Victoria Brignell for The New Statesman
- Sterilization and Eugenics Programs in the United States by Lisa Ko for PBS Independent Lens
- Understanding Disability: The Eugenics Model by Nim Ralph for Drake Music
Forced Sterilization of Disabled People
- Buck v. Bell, Oyez
- Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities, Open Society Foundations
- Sterilization of People With Disabilities: Acknowledging the Past and Present History, Rhetoric, and Effects of a Harmful Practice by Rowena Kosher for Columbia University RightsViews
- Forced sterilization policies in the US targeted minorities and those with disabilities – and lasted into the 21st century by Alexandra Minna Stern for The Conversation
COVID-19 and Eugenics
- Disability Rights, Triage and Countering Eugenics in a Time of Pandemic by Pete Shanks for the Center for Genetics and Society
- Hiding in Plain Sight: Public Health, Eugenics, and COVID-19 by Laura I Appleman for the Harvard Public Health Review