The revival of eugenics in American popular culture

This paper explores the possibility of a "new eugenics" from the perspective of American popular culture. Several related ideas have been expressed in recent popular sources: differential rates of reproduction among different groups are threatening the future; there are "lives not worth living"; and the threats of disability are sufficient to justify limiting reproductive rights. These beliefs draw on assumptions that the future will depend on controlling the genetic constitution of the species. Popular ideas about the powers of the gene, we argue, are laying the basis for policies controlling reproduction for the common good.