The Moral Panic about Eugenics Poses a Threat to Abortion Rights

Source: Quillette
by Diana Fleischman

“American partisan politics has just been inflamed by implementation of a Texas ban on abortions once an embryo’s heartbeat is detected, usually after the sixth week of pregnancy. The new law gets around Roe v Wade by making it possible for anyone to charge a person who helps a woman terminate her pregnancy, from Uber drivers to doctors. But it’s unclear if the Texas abortion ban will stick, and bans on the basis of ‘anti-eugenic’ rhetoric may be more likely to pose a risk to abortion rights. ‘Prenatal Nondiscrimination Acts’ (PRENDA) and other bans which prevent women from getting abortions on the basis of a prenatal diagnosis of disability have been gaining traction throughout the United States.” (09/15/21)