Eugenics in America and Political Fringe

So I read this disturbing article on CNN about a man who died and had no money for burial. Not anything significant there but what was interesting is that he was sterilized by the state of California when he was 15 years old. The rationale for that surgery was that his parents were alcoholics.

What?! This sent me on a quest to understand what in the world was going on in the United States 70 years ago.

So the long and short of it is, several states had legislation for Eugenics programs in the early to mid 1900s. Virginia, Connecticut, California, and others managed to sterilize at least 63000 Americans over a 50 year span. You know what political entity was behind it? The answer might be a surprise if you were not aware of this activity; progressives.

The kicker of this story is the eventual use of this 'scientific' research and execution by our government. This activity was cited as the foundation for the Nazi's superior race construct and I guess at least in part, the justification for the holocaust. Hitler literally used the existence of in-place American laws to justify his actions. If you trace back earlier, it pretty much started with derivative work from Darwin.

I know that we can all look at the last 100 years and suggest it was a learning experience and say 'that could never happen again.' But is that really true? There still seems to be a low-level push to do what is 'best' for us all. Now please understand, I come at this from left of center, so it really is just an observation and not a condemnation of goodwill towards man. I am just trying get my head around what happened to this man, who was unable to have a family because of the ideals of a political fringe that became law.

If we look at our political landscape now and consider the range of people who vote based on ideals and beliefs, I wonder if they truly know the history of the party that seems to align with their principles. We can look back a mere 30 years and raise questions regarding our affiliation based on what they stood for then compared to now. This works for both major parties. It is a worthwile exercise, I recommend it.

What I have learned from my small bit of research is this: I know times are different, but I fear the fringe being involved in governance. We all should.