HRBooks review: ‘Imbeciles’ takes deep dive into Virginia’s role in America’s eugenics – Daily Press

Before I tell you about this historical, shocking and true story of eugenics in the United States, Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck, let me tell you about the author.

Adam Cohen is a former member of "The New York Times" editorial board, a former senior writer for "Time" magazine, author of several books and a graduate of Harvard Law School.

"On May 2, 2002, the governor of Virginia offered a sincere apology for his state's participation in eugenics, Cohen writes.

With the support of medical personnel, lawyers, academics and the courts, Virginia forced the sterilization of more than 7,450 citizens between 1927 and 1979. They were considered unfit, feeble-minded, criminals or epileptics. In the court case "Buck versus Taft," the United States Supreme Court approved the sterilization of Carrie Buck, with some of the most important names in America presiding, including William Howard Taft, Louis Brandeis and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. The vote was 8-1. Buck was from Charlottesville and taken in by a foster family. When she became pregnant out of wedlock, she was declared feebleminded."

Eugenics is the science of improving the human population by controlling breeding, thus improving the chances of what are considered desirable traits. In the 1920s, the U.S. began its drive to improve the population. Its model came from England and the writings of Charles Darwin. John D. Rockefeller Jr., Alexander Graham Bell and Theodore Roosevelt were among the supporters of eugenics. The methods to improve the U.S. population included changing immigration laws and keeping those deemed unfit from reproducing. In the end, sterilization became the chosen solution.

Virginia was cautious about eugenic sterilization and did not enact it until 1924, 17 years after the first state, Indiana, had started to use the practice. Four of the nations most respected and powerful professions supported eugenic sterilization medicine, academics, law and the judiciary. The U.S. sterilized 60,000 to 70,000 citizens during this manic time in history, according to Cohen.

The Nazi Party used U.S. laws as a model for its own eugenic sterilization program. Buck vs. Bell has never been overturned. There was a tendency to favor the powerful in American law.

This book covers in great detail the famous men who influenced eugenics and the ultimate support of Buck vs. Bell.

The list includes Albert Priddy, Harry Laughlin and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. As you read this book, consider what was occurred during the years of eugenics, how many citizens of Virginia had their lives turned upside down. They lost their right to choose where they lived, their ability to have children and ultimately, the course of their lives.

This country stands for freedom, but where is the freedom here?

Adam Cohen ends this unforgettable book with a long list of acknowledgments and 323 notes and references. This 402 page book includes eight pages of historical pictures. It can be found at Amazon in paperback for $12.14 and in Kindle for $11.99. It can also be reached at Powells Books for $18 in paperback, $19.50 in hardcover, and $45 on CD.

Vicky Coiner has been a school nurse in Hampton for more than 19 years. She has a master's degree in psychology and is working toward a Ph.D.

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HRBooks review: 'Imbeciles' takes deep dive into Virginia's role in America's eugenics - Daily Press