9/26/08

Neoeugenics

Paying (poor) people to have a tubal ligation ("tubes tied") / vasectomy?

Is this neoeugenics? What are the ethical issues this entails? Why not invest money into other less destructive solutions? Could a minor's guardian get their child sterilized and make the profit? What kind of doctors would perform the surgery under such conditions?

I feel if an individual wants to be sterilized on their own accord they should certainly have the right, but paying people in dire economic straights to have such procedures ammounts to excessive coercion and is unethical. Invest the money into education. Invest it in empowering people to have control over their reproductive futures and make informed decisions without external pressures. Do not bribe or blackmail people into having a (generally) irreversible operation. Such actions are closer to fascist eugenics than democratic freedom.

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