Eugenics Must Not Be Allowed To Sneak Through The Backdoor With Coronavirus

The NHS response to Covid-19 has been incredible. It has shown the strong commitment by the medical profession and society more generally to the principle of the sanctity of human life.

This is encouraging to see in the face of an orchestrated campaign by advocates for the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia for disabled people and those with terminal and chronic illnesses.  

I do not doubt that it would be easy in this time of national crisis to embrace such a view. Doctors will face difficult decisions over the coming weeks and months as the capacity of the healthcare system is pushed beyond its limits. But we must resist these siren voices, because we can’t allow a return to the eugenics movement and its dark past. 

The eugenics movement started in Britain during the late 19th Century, arising in the context of social Darwinism and the theory of the survival of the fittest. It quickly spread to other Western countries. It led to abuses such as the sterilisation of people with mental illness or learning difficulties in the USA during...