Abortion Is a ‘Disturbingly Effective Tool’ for Eugenics, Supreme Court Justice Warns

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas cited lessons from the history of the American eugenics movement Tuesday in warning that abortion can be a “tool” to eliminate entire segments of the population.  

“A growing body of evidence suggests that eugenic goals are already being realized through abortion,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas cited the widespread use of abortion of female babies in Asia, the worldwide use of abortion of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome, and the abortion ratio within the American black population compared to that of the white population.  

“With today’s prenatal screening tests and other technologies, abortion can easily be used to eliminate children with unwanted characteristics,” he wrote. “Indeed, the individualized nature of abortion gives it even more eugenic potential than birth control, which simply reduces the chance of conceiving any child.”

Thomas’ 20-page opinion accompanied the court’s refusal to hear a case involving an Indiana law banning sex-, race-, and disability-selective abortions. Thomas agreed with the court’s decision not to take up the case but only because the issue needed more time to percolate in lower courts. The high court often will take up an issue only after it is considered in multiple circuits. The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals had struck down the Indiana…