...Buck v. Bell 274 U.S. 200 (1927) I. TYPE OF ACTION: This is a writ of error to review arguing that the Fourteenth Amendment is void in this case’s ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court. II. FACTS: Carrie Buck was one of three illegitimate children born by Emma Buck, who was deemed feeble-minded- mentally deficient. At the age of 17, Carrie became pregnant under the care of her foster parents. Consequently, Carrie was committed to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded- the same institution as her mother. Carrie was the daughter of a feeble-minded mother, mother of a feeble-minded daughter, and was herself a feeble-minded person. The Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 approved for the sterilization of Carrie Buck (selected because of hereditary reasons) in order to promote the general welfare of the public and it protects the patient of the institution from possible abuse. Carrie challenged the Act of forced sterilization on the grounds that salpingectomy violates her right of bodily integrity vis-a-vis the Fourteenth Amendment....
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...Eugenics and Beneficence Eugenics and Beneficence On October 27, 2014, the North Carolina state legislature became the first in the country to officially begin compensating citizens and their families who were subjected the state’s forced sterilization program. Ninety years after the legalization of forced sterilization in the United States and forty-one years after the first lawsuit was brought by sterilized North Carolinian Nial Ramirez, it would seem as though the country is now ready to do penance in financial terms for its past actions via reparations to Mrs. Ramirez and others. (Burns, 2014) The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of eugenics, specifically to view it through lens of beneficence, to try and view the issue from the points of view of all involved, and finally to explore some future implications about the nature of beneficence from this episode in the history of American health-care. Eugenics is the study of ways to influence (usually to improve) a population by selective breeding. ("Mosby’s Dictionary," 2009) The idea of influencing the quality of animal populations has existed since the beginning of domestication by humans, but the idea of subjecting the human race to systematic selective breeding is a more recent phenomenon. Western thought about the nature of living creatures until the 19th century had been shaped by Judeo-Christian traditions in which a creator god made and sustained all the diversity of life, and further had created...
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...Both Nellie McClung and Emily Murphy were the catalysts for the rise of women in Canada. They worked both separately and together to get women the right to vote, be recognized as persons, and to be able to have positions in the senate. Along their road to success, these two women also, in some people’s views, faltered. They both supported the sterilization act in Alberta, and Emily Murphy was particularly racist. These two women have achieved amazing things for Canadian workingwomen, as well as Canadian women and the law; but did they do more harm than good? More specifically, does their work in favor of women’s rights, and women becoming recognized “persons”, make up for their love of eugenics and the many lives they ruined sue to their beliefs that people of different races and with different mentalities were not suitable for parenthood? This paper will explore both sides of their work, looking at the persons case, women becoming involved in the senate, as well as the eugenics and sterilization that they supported. These two women were not solely good or bad, they were good with some poor decisions along the way, “although their vision, like our own, was sometimes faulty and incomplete, it also embodied an uncommon personal politics of courage and optimism…Feminists don’t have to be perfect to be worth a respectful hearing.” (Strong-Boag). Nellie McClung is a feminist hero of Canada, “her zest, and her convictions, her campaigns helped shape the Canada we live in today.” (Gray...
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...believed, from a common ancestor who possessed unique inborn mental and physical qualities that were passed from generation to generation. Genetics and heredity are the basic building blocks of eugenics but rapid industrialization, urbanization, intense growth of American industry, agricultural mechanization, and widespread immigration all played roles too. The cities and population growing without enough adequate housing were some factors that led to the practice of eugenics. Carrie Buck was committed to the Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feeble Minded in Lynchburg, Virginia. Carrie and her mother were judged to be "feebleminded" and promiscuous, primarily because they had both had borne children out of wedlock. Carrie's child was also judged to be "feebleminded" at seven months of age! Three generations of "imbeciles" became the "perfect" family for Virginia officials to use as a test case in favor of the eugenic sterilization law enacted. In 1924 the Supreme Court concurred "that Carrie Buck is the probable potential parent of socially inadequate offspring, likewise afflicted, that she may be sexually sterilized without detriment to her general health and that her welfare and that of society will be promoted by her sterilization" (unbelievable!) The philosophical roots of the holocaust can be traced to American scientists because an author stated that eugenic policies should be used as a model for Germany to follow. The sterilization program of the Nazi state...
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... During the eugenic movement there were internal concerns about criminals, insane, feeble mindedness, alcoholics, paupers, derelicts, delinquents, orphans, prostitutes and those unable to support themselves. These traits were considered to be hereditary defects that cannot be eliminated by environmental procedures. Many studies supported and illustrated the use of sterilisation as negative eugenics such as the Juke family published in 1875 and the Kallikak family in 1912 where one or more members of the family were considered to be unfit. In 1907 Indiana was the first state to pass involuntary- sterilisation based on the eugenic ideologies of the unfit. By 1931, 30 states had passed this law. As the concept of the “unfit” was subjective and could be defined as anyone that is considered inferior in relation to gender, sexuality, race, health it is clear that this is another example of the misuse of a pseudo-science and did not provide progress or modernity for the betterment of the nation. By the 1960’s involuntary sterilisation of the clinically or mentally retarded had ceased and there was a massive shift in its perception socially. “The discussion of sterilizing the mentally retarded is no longer in a genetic context. The main issue is how to protect the incompetent person -and the right of that person to be sterilized if he or she is being sexually abused. The courts must be convinced that the operation will benefit the patient” (Reitman et al. 1978). The American Eugenics...
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...Stephanie Lerma Professor Hogen-Esch Political Science 155 29 September 2014 RA #3: Buck vs. Bell In 1927 there was a Supreme Court case known as Buck vs. Bell in Virginia that was controversial and affected the mentally handicapped citizens in America. It ruled in the favor of the sterilization of Cary Buck who they judged as mentally unfit to have children. The law at the time allowed for forced sterilization if it was in the patient’s best interest. The Supreme Court allowed doctors to perform unwanted surgery on citizens. In the late 19th century Francis Galton created the concept of Eugenics, which is “the study of the agencies under social control, which improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations either physically...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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...Term Paper – Buck v. Bell. Mikayla Seeley Hot Springs High School English IV Mrs. Sullenger March 1, 2024 Introduction: Buck v. Bell was an incredibly influential court case. It decided whether sterilizing women deemed feeble-minded was constitutional or not. This case was incredibly important to the eugenics movement as well as to women all over America. The passing of this case allowed for the state of Virginia to legally sterilize women that they deemed as “feeble-minded.” The passing of this case affected more than just Carrie Buck, the first woman sterilized under it, but it affected thousands of other women who fell victim to it (Thompson, 2021). This court case changed the direction of Carrie Buck’s life and turned her into...
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...procedure and ruling in my opinion creates an interesting example of American arrogance or at very least shows a clear short sighted mentality. After doing research I found that 30 states at the time of the Buck v. Bell case had passed legislation in favor of sterilization. It was not as if Virginia was on the fringe of the country on this topic, it was rather widely held that sterilization in an effort to prevent “feeble minded” persons from having children was a positive idea with merit. It was an idea that many people in the country saw as a useful way to handle these people and the idea of their procreating. Many influential people during the time even saw the procedure as a positive, such as Helen Keller. I think the Helen Keller example truly shows how much the entire country latched onto the idea of wiping out mental illness but taking away reproductive rights. When a woman who went through all the hardships that Keller did can come out and agree with legislation such as this it is clearly a popular and widely held idea. This thought process toward the so-called feeble minded during that time period interests me greatly. During Hitler’s reign many Americans saw many, if not all, of his actions to be morally reprehensible. Yet it was this same idea used in the Buck v. Bell case that was used by Hitler. The Nazi party would even directly give credit to acquiring the idea from the state of Virginia. While the Nazis would take it a step farther and sterilize people based on...
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...Once at the Supreme Court I.P. Whitehead, Buck’s attorney offered a multi-dimensional argument that displayed reasons why the state’s statue failed to benefit either society or the individual. He also provided an adequate and effective argument as to why the Court should rule in Carrie Buck’s favor. He did this by ensure that he highlighted the case of Munn v. Illinois which defined “deprivation of life”. Unfortunately, the efforts of Buck attorney were at a huge disadvantage because this case was being heard at the height of the eugenics movement. Once Buck’s attorney finishes their argument then the state made their case on the issue of the sterilization law. Aubrey Strobe who was the counsel for the State Colony opens his case by asking why the issue of cruel and unusual punishment wasn’t introduced. He stated that he was puzzled that the defense wouldn’t even bring up the Eighth Amendment into consideration. Therefore, the main argument of Strobe’s case was that involuntary sterilization would create a symbolic relationship between the individual in which the process is being done and also society. Furthermore, the individual should...
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...must insist that genetic profiles—in whatever form they take—remain in the control of the individual, and should never be used to violate fundamental human rights. The challenge for scientists, philosophers, ethicists, jurists, and policymakers is how to best balance the rights of the individual against the needs of society in this rapidly changing world. Eugenics and Genetics The U.S. Supreme Court legitimized state–sponsored sterilization in the name of eugenics in its landmark decision of Buck v. Bell. Carrie Buck was sent to the State Colony of Epileptics and the Feeble–Minded in Virginia to have a child conceived when she was raped by the nephew of her foster parents. At that time, Virginia permitted sexual sterilization when it was determined that a patient or “inmate” was afflicted with hereditary forms of in- sanity or imbecility. The authors of the law designed it to prevent the reproduction of “mentally defective” people in the best interest of the patient and society. Buck was ordered sterilized against her will. Dr. Albert Priddy (superintendent...
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...decimate those who were seen as deleterious to the human gene pool. Killing humans with unfit genes by the process of lethal chamber, or gas chamber was seen as a way of bettering society for future generations. Instead, the core result was the expeditious magnification of forced sterilization as well as expanded marriage constraints. Though it was a popular theory, scientists simply did not have the necessary information on heredity in the human race to be convince the legislator to justify legalizing it in 1911. One of the most notable cases about eugenics occurred in April of 1927, when the Supreme Court, heard testimony on Buck v Bell. The appeal was centered around Carrie Bell, a young woman, who at the young age of seventeen was presumed a, “moral imbecile” and was committed to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded Persons. Buck, who was adopted child at a young age by the Dobbs family was treated differently from the Dobbs other children. The Dobbs made her do extra housework, and the housework of other families too. One week when the Dobbs were out of town on a trip, Carrie was raped by one of the Dobbs nephews. When Carrie told the Dobbs they didn’t believe her, and in fact blamed her. As a result the Dobbs wanted ot rid themselves of Carrie as if she was a cancer to the families reputation. In 1923, the Dobbs family went to a local court to attempt to convince the court that Carrie was feebleminded as well as having her put in the same institution...
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...**Tongue depressors x 5 **1 penny and 1 paperclip **Instrument for sharp/ dull (more tongue depressors) **Tuning forks: 128 Hz and 512 Hz **Penlight **Triangular reflex hammer **Centimeter ruler *please read below before purchasing **Pocket Snellen eye chart **PA class sells packets that contains all these CARDIOLOGY-GRADE STETHOSCOPE: ~$ 140-160 Get at least a cardiology-grade stethoscope: has a diaphragm, bell, and dual lumen. Plan to spend at least $140. Examples: 1. Littman: Cardiology III: pediatric side can be a bell or can adjust pressure on diaphragm ~$140160, Master Cardiology ~$185 (is single sided and NOT necessary) 2. Heine: Gamma C3 Cardiology ~$140 3. Welch Allyn: Tycos Elite ~$140 4. MDF: Procardial C3 ~$162 Your stethoscope will be used to hear heart murmurs, lung sounds, bruits--- things not always so easy to hear. You will not be working in sound proof environments. DO NOT skimp in this area or you’ll just buy another one because you can’t hear anything. Chest piece can be two sided: bell (low pitch) and diaphragm (high pitch) or single sided. We suggest for ease of use that you purchase a scope with a two-sided chest piece Should have replaceable, multi-size ear tips, esp if you have small ear canals! Multiple tube colors and different chest piece finishes available; get whatever color you desire. Get a name tag piece to identify yours or you can get it engraved. SPHYGMOMANOMETER (Blood Pressure cuff) $20-200 ...
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...For example, if Sharecropping were a term, you would want to both define it and also explain the consequences of sharecropping, what it meant for ex-slaves, that it was part of the failure of social reconstruction, etc. Wounded Knee The US government wanted to ban Indian Culture such as the Ghost Dance Freedmen’s Bureau Working Class Dawes Act Open Door Haymarket Emilio Aguinaldo Progressivism Espionage Act The Grange William Jennings Bryan The Great Uprising Pullman Pure Food and Drug Act Mark Twain W. E. B. DuBois Eugene Victor Debs Overproduction Populists V. I. Lenin Surplus Capital Upton Sinclair Federal Reserve Act The Lusitania Part II: From the Readings (20 points) You will be given three terms from the material from As They Said It (chapters 1-2) and American Society since 1900 (chapters 1-2, but only through the end of “Buck Versus Bell”), of which two you will need to address TWO. These terms will be titles of specific selections from the two readers. You MUST demonstrate knowledge of the reading material and not simply try to respond based on lecture material. When explaining the significance of the term,...
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...Outline + References Sociology 210 Research Paper Draft Conflict Theory and the Evolution of Eugenics in America during the 20th Century. I intend to present a purely informative paper on the sociological perspective of eugenics during the past century in the United States through Conflict Theory. A linear history of causality, implementation, and significance. 1. Conflict Theory Perspective a. Margaret Sanger b. Plato’s Republic c. Negative Eugenics d. Sterilization e. Planned Parenthood Federation of America f. Legislation g. Economic Implications Early 1900’s American political movement under Margaret Sanger 1. advocate the control over individual rights to reproduction 2. purpose of societal advantage 3. rights governed by the state and supported by a public majority 4. originally designed as a method of public oppression and controlled persecution. 5. Sanger an outspoken advocate for Eugenics a. racial dominance, class restraint, and a member of the American Eugenic Political Party, opened a family planning and birth control clinic. 6. Established first Abortion Clinics in NY b. On October 16, 1916, a member of the Eugenic party movement opened a then privately funded business, now partly funded by the public, in New York City. 7. clinic’s policy on providing pregnancy termination to the impoverished and uneducated. 8. The Birth Control Review and Birth Control...
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