From Eugenics to Patents: Genetics, Law, and Human Rights

Eugenics، as a scientific movement to improve the human population genetics by decreasing undesirable genes and increasing desirable ones، had drawn many scientific attentions since late 19th century. Toward its aim، eugenics has experienced different episodes، and sev-eral programs and practices have been approached، of which the most important yet striking one was human sterilization with economic jus-tifications، i. e. to reduce the health care medical and social costs for poor and physically or mentally handicapped patients. However، eu-genics principles were later seriously criticized from scientific، racial، and violence to human rights points of view. It is believed that today some practices are running as negative eugenics. Nowadays، criminol-ogy، sociology، criminal policy، socioeconomic policy، etc. have raised many criticisms on eugenics and related activities، of which is the patent of human genes. This article refers to a recent analysis by Daniel J. Kevles، Professor of History of Science at Yale University، which deals with historical episodes of eugenics and the transition of its concepts into modern Sciences of Molecular Biology and Biotech-nology as well as patent of human genes.