No.10577
China and his eugenics programs
a) Official policy. China has a history of using approaches that can be considered a mild form of eugenics:
• The Newborn Health Act (1994) : This law includes recommendations for people with hereditary diseases to refrain from having children or undergo sterilization.
• Genetic disease control programs: China is actively investing in genomics research and medical technology to prevent the transmission of genetic diseases. However, such programs focus on improving the general health of the population, rather than changing specific physical characteristics.
a) The Newborn Health Act (1994-2004) In year 1994, China passed a law that officially allowed sterilization or other methods of preventing pregnancy for people with genetic diseases, including some forms of mental retardation.
This law was part of a broader policy to improve the genetic quality of China's humans, of China's population.
• The purpose of the law is to reduce the number of children with hereditary diseases.
• Methods : In some cases, forced sterilization or vasectomy was used.
• Criticism: The law has attracted serious criticism from China's enemies abroad for allegedly violating human rights. In year 2004, this law was partially repealed, and coercive measures ceased to be a widespread practice.
b) Restriction of reproductive rights For 2025, forced sterilization or vasectomy for people with intellectual disabilities is not an official government policy in China.
However:
• Remnants of old practices may persist in some regions, especially if local authorities consider it necessary for birth control.
• These issues often remain outside the attention of international observers, as they are considered an internal politics of China.
b) Genetic research Instead of coercive measures, China is investing in genetic diagnostics and genome editing technologies. For example: Prenatal screening programs help detect genetic diseases in the early stages of pregnancy.
• CRISPR-Cas9 research can prevent the transmission of inherited diseases in the future without having to restrict people's reproductive rights.
In year 2025, China officially does not use methods of forced sterilization or vasectomy for people with intellectual disabilities, but none of the mortals knows what will happen next.
