Modern Day Eugenics & the Christian Response
The word eugenics recalls an era of humanist thought, selective breeding, and social Darwinism. Yet, most people today do not consider the concept, and many Christians have never even heard of it.
Eugenics is an immoral and pseudoscientific theory that claims the possibility to create perfect human beings through genetics and scientific laws of inheritance.[1] Rooted in social Darwinism and the studies of Gregor Mendel, but taken to a degree far even from their teachings, eugenics fueled the prejudiced beliefs of racial improvement. Numerous people were categorized as unfit for various reasons by those who were proponents of this teaching.
The term “eugenics” was coined by Charles Darwin’s cousin, Francis Galton. It was a derivation of the Greek word eugenes, meaning “good in birth” or “good in stock.” It is a full-on evolutionary theory and as Galton argued, he believed social traits, such as intelligence were a result of heredity and thus could be bred. He claimed only “higher races” could be successful.[2]
Nazism and Eugenics
In 1933 Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist party announced a troubling law that actually had its roots in the United States. The Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases was the title and while this title is appalling, the actual details were much worse.[3] In the words of the Nazi leaders, they were seeking “racial hygiene.”
The law stated that any citizen suffering from schizophrenia, manic-depression, Huntington’s hereditary epilepsy, blindness, deafness, severe physical deformities, alcoholics, and any who were “feeble-minded” could be forcibly sterilized beginning January 1, 1934. Those who turned in their neighbors or relatives were rewarded.
The truth is that this belief system, as atrocious as it was, did not grow from nowhere. Mark Komrad who teaches as Johns Hopkins and has served two terms on the Ethics Committee of the American Psychiatric Association has stated that the United States did not simply provide a template for Hitler but was an inspiration to him in this regard.[4]
That statement alone seems so offensive. No one in their right mind would want to be categorized with Hitler and the Nazi machine and yet, Komrad points to the rise of secular humanism, the teachings of Charles Darwin, and the influence of atheist psychologists fueled many in the United States during the beginning of the twentieth century and led to such beliefs. At the time the United States was the world leader in eugenics research and legislation.
Forced Sterilization in the United States
Forced sterilization was affirmed by a US Supreme Court ruling in 1927. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote in his ruling that “It is better for all the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind.”[5]
Forced sterilization was practiced on Native American women for much longer, even up through the 1970s. Over forty percent of Native women were sterilized without their knowledge or by coercion to limit the population.[6] I first heard of this while watching a fictional modern western, but with just a bit of research I suddenly discovered this was not a fictional storyline for the show, but a reality.
It sounds horrendous to those who see the value of life and the importance of every single image-bearer. Yet, it begs the question “How did people, even Christians, dare think something like eugenics and forced sterilization was okay?”
The Culture of Death
The culture of death was not birthed in the United States when “Roe v. Wade” was ruled. The culture of death is Satanic and has roots in the Garden of Eden and even before. Yet, in America many who justified such atrocious acts did so because it was easy to celebrate humanity and once God is removed from one’s worldview, right and wrong are muddied to say the least.
Subtlety
In many cases, well-meaning Americans never saw the evil of eugenics for what it was. Subtlety is the enemy’s tool. While many may not have followed Margaret Sanger’s radical feminism of the early 1900s, she did have great influence. Her birth control strategy eventually became Planned Parenthood and it is known that in addition to her feminist leanings, eugenics for undesirables was lauded, especially as defined by skin color. Even children were being drawn in by William Moulton Marston’s comic book character Wonder Woman. Far from Cathy Lee Crosby, Lynda Carter or Gal Gadot’s depictions of the heroine, the origin of this character had more connections to Sanger and her disciples and the organization that would become Planned Parenthood than many realized at the time.[7]
Eugenics and abortion are inevitably connected. Forced removal of a child from the womb for any reason is now accepted by many if not most in our nation, even though Roe v. Wade has been overturned (thankfully). The culture of death continues as the tidal waves of the moral revolution have changed society and reshaped our moral landscape.[8]
What About the Frozen Babies?
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a hot topic in our nation today. Like everything of value, it ends up being politicized and commodified. IVF is big business, no doubt. Many Christians seeking to be fruitful and multiply as Scripture states have found infertility to be their lot. For some, adoption is not an option, so IVF is considered.
A good number of Christians have gone the route of IVF. Many have considered the ethical realities of such and have taken great care not to fertilize more eggs than needed. Some have even donated fertilized eggs for snowflake adoptions.
However, there are many (Christian and not) nationally who have more fertilized eggs in frozen storage than will ever be used. That, in and of itself, is a great concern. I have written about this in more depth here.
There are other areas of IVF that seem to be getting increasingly popular as well. While many in the industry are not using the word, the truth is that it reeks of early-twentieth century eugenics.
Curing Down Syndrome?
During the summer of 2017 a report came out of Iceland stating that the nation had cured Down Syndrome. That certainly made headlines globally. The uproar was loud as some do not deem Down Syndrome as something to cure. Others view it as a disorder to remove and thus, the call for a cure was hopeul. The reports were shared, but the question remained. How did this small nation cure the genetic issue that leads to Down Syndrome?
This is amazing, right?
No.
Iceland did not cure Down Syndrome. No other nation has either. Rather, as the report declared, Iceland and other such countries used prenatal screening, genetic counseling, and the termination of pregnancies of embryos deemed “undesirable.”[9]
Simply put, doctors murdered the babies in-utero who were determined to have Down Syndrome.
Like others, I am for continued ethical work by those with medical and scientific knowledge that may help cure maladies and other issues people face. However, eradication of image-bearers is no cure. It is simply eugenics marketed to a new generation.
Selective Breeding
The natural next steps (already occurring) sound more like the plot from Logan’s Run or other science fiction novel. Selective breeding…high IQ, color of hair, eyes, potential height, weight, strength, etc. turns something beautiful and gifted by God into something akin to purchasing the perfect automobile.
This is already in the works as Silicon Valley technocrat-futurists wish to redefine what it means to have a child. Noor Siddiqui, founder and CEO of tech company Orchid stated on X recently, “When I was in elementary school, my mom started going blind. Retinitis pigmentosa. No family history. No treatments. No cure…If you could prevent your child from going blind—would you?”[10] The argument tugs at every parent’s heart. She states that he most important parenting decisions anyone can make happen before birth: choice of partner and one’s child’s genome.[11] Yet, by her own admission, if her grandparents had the technology she is developing and would take the advice she gives, her mother would have been aborted, and Noor would never have been born.
Thus, the irony of the culture of death.
Siddiqui is saying out loud what others are thinking. She even gives a theological reason for her strategy. “Trusting God” she says,” doesn’t mean skipping the car seat. You still buckle your child in because protecting them is part of your job. The same is true for their genome. Hoping for the best is not the same as guarding them from a preventable harm.”[12]
Seth Troutt clarifies what Siddiqui and Orchid are truly saying. They are actually recommending and making possible that since your child might be harmed in a car wreck, the best move you can make is to go ahead and destroy him as an embryo and throw him in the dumpster. That way, we can prevent suffering.[13]
Suddenly, once the wrapping is removed and the techno-wording is simplified, we see evil for what it is.
When life is devalued, we become desensitized. Abortion is evil. Destruction of frozen embryos (babies) is wrong. Genetic categorization for the purpose of keeping the “good baby” while eliminating the less than perfect ones is nothing more than humans playing God. Eugenics has never and will never glory God, for it is evil. If considering the German “Final Solution” appalls us (and it should) we would be wise to keep our biblical lenses on as we look to other areas in our current day that may not be as far from such atrocious realities as we would hope.
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[1] “Eugenics: Its Origin and Development (1883 - Present).” Genome.Gov, www.genome.gov/about-genomics/educational-resources/timelines/eugenics. Accessed 30 Sept. 2025.
[2] Eugenics: Its Origin and Deveopment.
[3] Welde, Caleb 09/22/2025 The World and Everything In It. “History Book: Medicine without Ethics.” WORLD, 22 Sept. 2025, wng.org/podcasts/history-book-medicine-without-ethics-1758388912.
[4] Welde.
[5] “Eugenics in Virginia: Buck V. Bell and Forced Sterilization.” Eugenics: Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Virginia, Eugenics & Buck v. Bell, exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/eugenics/index.html. Accessed 30 Sept. 2025.
[6] Hayes, Kelly. “Native Women Were Forcibly Sterilized - and They Fought Back.” Truthout, Truthout, 28 Nov. 2019, truthout.org/articles/native-women-were-forcibly-sterilized-and-they-fought-back/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=437238503&gbraid=0AAAAADbftBkd0IWNWB5KuA0o5YAvpbqC3&gclid=CjwKCAjw_-3GBhAYEiwAjh9fUPn77UDe1znt-2Y5QshvBbb-w_g-oy16B8kcm9rK5HUJFiGtqspxDBoCzscQAvD.
[7] Lepore, Jill. The Secret History of Wonder Woman (New York: Vintage Books, 2015), 108.
[8] Mohler, R. Albert. “The Culture of Death and Its Lies: There Is Now Irrefutable Evidence the Abortion Pill Isn’t ‘Safe’- and Our Government Must Take Action.” AlbertMohler.Com, 25 June 2025, albertmohler.com/2025/05/29/the-culture-of-death-and-its-lies-there-is-now-irrefutable-evidence-the-abortion-pill-isnt-safe-and-our-government-must-take-action/.
[9] Camarata, Stephen. “Iceland ‘Cures’ Down Syndrome: Should America Do the Same?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 2 Jan. 2018, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-intuitive-parent/201801/iceland-cures-down-syndrome-should-america-do-the-same.
[10] Troutt, Seth. “Just Discard Human Dignity.” WORLD, 20 Aug. 2025, wng.org/opinions/just-discard-human-dignity-1755667362.
[11] Harris, Ainsley. “Silicon Valley Wants You to Stop ‘rolling the Dice’ about Your Future Baby’s Health - Fast Company.” Fast Company, 25 Sept. 2025, www.fastcompany.com/91396712/silicon-valley-wants-you-to-stop-rolling-the-dice-about-your-future-babys-health.
[12] Sargeant, Leah Libresco. “Parents Are Not Their Children’s Authors.” First Things, 2 Sept. 2025, firstthings.com/parents-are-not-their-childrens-authors/.
[13] Troutt.
