The word "eugenics" has been thrown around loosely here. Ignoring whether this is eugenics or not (I actually agree that it can be considered eugenics), there is nothing wrong per se with "eugenics". As defined by Wikipedia:
"Eugenics is the applied science or the biosocial movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population."
People have to stop associating the eugenics used by the Nazis to eugenics as an actual concept. Eugenics was invented before the Nazis even came into existence, and it can be a very good thing. It is about improving the population as a whole through various practices, and most modern eugenicists are against any practices which infringe upon a person's human rights (i.e. denying the disabled from having children).
Many of us practice eugenics in passive, or sometimes active ways. We do not sleep with people who are genetically close to us (incest), which can be considered passive eugenics, since the offspring of an incestuous couple has a greater chance of having birth defects than those of a non-incestuous couple.
Some practice more active eugenics with Genetic Selection; that is, if a couple has a strong chance of passing on some genetic disorder to their children, they may take multiple eggs out of the woman, fertilise all of them with the male sperm, and then check each embryo for specific genetic traits; implanting one of the embryos that does not have the disorder back into the woman.
So yes, this is eugenics (in my opinion) since the charity is trying to improve the genetic composition of the population, by paying for willing drug addicts to have sterilisation, thus removing the possibility of them causing harm to children they might have had.
What is it not is comparable to Nazi eugenics, where whole sections of society are forced to undergo sterilisation, or are just killed to remove them completely from the population. There is no forcing here; people come to the charity of their own free will, and there will be many potential children that will be saved thanks to their efforts.
"Eugenics is the applied science or the biosocial movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population."
People have to stop associating the eugenics used by the Nazis to eugenics as an actual concept. Eugenics was invented before the Nazis even came into existence, and it can be a very good thing. It is about improving the population as a whole through various practices, and most modern eugenicists are against any practices which infringe upon a person's human rights (i.e. denying the disabled from having children).
Many of us practice eugenics in passive, or sometimes active ways. We do not sleep with people who are genetically close to us (incest), which can be considered passive eugenics, since the offspring of an incestuous couple has a greater chance of having birth defects than those of a non-incestuous couple.
Some practice more active eugenics with Genetic Selection; that is, if a couple has a strong chance of passing on some genetic disorder to their children, they may take multiple eggs out of the woman, fertilise all of them with the male sperm, and then check each embryo for specific genetic traits; implanting one of the embryos that does not have the disorder back into the woman.
So yes, this is eugenics (in my opinion) since the charity is trying to improve the genetic composition of the population, by paying for willing drug addicts to have sterilisation, thus removing the possibility of them causing harm to children they might have had.
What is it not is comparable to Nazi eugenics, where whole sections of society are forced to undergo sterilisation, or are just killed to remove them completely from the population. There is no forcing here; people come to the charity of their own free will, and there will be many potential children that will be saved thanks to their efforts.
