Eugenics and sterilization

Sterilization procedures have been carried out in various societies as a method to control which portion of the population is allowed to reproduce. In the 19th Century, such procedures were first openly advocated as a kind of "scientific" social planning. "Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, coined the term 'eugenics', meaning 'the science which deals with all influences that improve inborn qualities'. It was adopted by a vociferous section of society, keen to diminish 'cacogenic' germplasm by segregating defectives in institutions and removing their ability to reproduce." (reference for quote:Drake, Mills, Cranston (1999) On the chequered history of vasectomy BJU International 84 (4), 475–481. doi:10.1046/j.1464-410x.1999.00206.x)