I oppose involuntary eugenics. Voluntary eugenics are good. The only reason eugenics are so taboo is because of its history of misuse in the 20th century. The term eugenics was coined by Francis Galton, a half cousin of Charles Darwin. It comes from the Greek words of "born" and "good". He wanted to stop the chaotic problems that come with the process of evolution, so he decided that humanity can take this problem into their hands by making sure people with the best genes can have the most children. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean eugenics was supposed to be forced or used for bigoted purposes. Starting in the early 20th century, some states in the United States began making laws ordering the sterilization of people thought to have disabilities because they worried they were heritable. Despite this misuse of eugenics, it can be used for good if used correctly and responsibly. For example, later on in time, Chinese scientists altered a human embryo to remove fatal blood disorders from the baby and all of its descendants. People with this kind of disorder in their genes ask for this kind of altering of their embryos from their DNA to prevent these kinds of problematic disorders. People might expand the definition of disability to various things, like shyness, short height, etc. The thing is, parents can make the choice about what kind of kids they can have. This is different from forced eugenics. We shouldn't sterilize disabled people or sterilize anyone against their will. If parents want to breed before age 35 to prevent autism for example, then that is fine. People with autistic siblings might also carry a risk of passing autism on their children. Those kinds of people might need to breed when they're in their 20s to deter an autism risk.
For example, this study showed that while parents under age 20 had a higher risk of having autistic children, the evidence was inconsistent and not as much an issue of increased risk. The risk was unequivocally and consistently much higher when the parents were middle-aged. Additionally, an age gap of more than 10 years also increased the risk, even controlling for parental age of the age gap couple. The study did not control for socioeconomic status or potential parental psychiatric history. Nonetheless, at least one of those same researchers used a meta-analysis of several studies and a large sample size, and after adjusting for many potential confounders, including socioeconomic status and paternal age, it was found that mothers under age 20 had a lower risk of autistic children but women at least age 35 had a higher risk. This meta-analysis also found that higher maternal or paternal age was associated with higher autism risk, and that an increase of 10 years in maternal age and paternal age caused an 18% increase and 21% increase. Meanwhile, a decrease in paternal age by 10 years was associated with a 26% reduction. This study says it cannot conclude causation, despite association. A meta-analysis found that ADHD was associated with younger maternal and paternal age. Nonetheless, ADHD is not as maladaptive as autism. This meta-analysis found that while intellectual disabilities were more likely when a mother was at least age 35, it was also associated with pre-term birth, maternal alcohol/tobacco use, low birth weights, low maternal education, at least 3 previous children from the mother, preeclampsia, maternal diabetes, and maternal asthma. Intellectual disabilities were not more likely when a mother was under age 20. According to this meta-analysis, older fathers, particular ones past age 50, have a higher risk of having schizophrenic children, and the risk is only slightly higher for fathers under age 25. Age was not associated with the risk of schizophrenic children for mothers.
Even this article talks about it: parents can make choices about what they want for their kids, and we can make eugenics available for everyone so there isn't any inequality where only rich people have this choice. We shouldn't forcibly sterilize certain people or use eugenics for preventing certain races from being born. Disabilities and disorders DO make things worse for people, including autism, which I have. Autism, especially if you're not on the most mild part of the spectrum, is maladaptive, and can cause chronic social isolation, arrested development, and reduced fertility. This doesn't happen so much with people who have ADHD. Research shows that while schizophrenia and autism and both highly maladaptive and involve reduced fertility, especially for men with these conditions and their brothers, autistic-like traits and schizotypal traits were adaptive, but people who outright have these conditions deal with something so maladaptive that they tend to experience maladaptive struggles instead. For example, outright autism is a maladaptive manifestation of otherwise adaptive traits. That's why it's a slow life history strategy for people to have autistic-like traits, and they'll have lower sex drives, less risk behaviors, higher parental investments, higher allocation of resources, lower mating effort, etc. It is a male-typical manifestation of a slow life history strategy and explains why men are more likely to be autistic. Women with more autistic-like traits also sexually mature later. Autistic-like traits that are adaptive tend to be examples like restricted interests and behaviors being associated with talents in children, technical-scientific interests and careers, higher systemizing abilities and attention to detail, enhanced low level sensory processing, better visuospatial skills, etc. Autistic-like traits are a slow life history strategy. This explains why older parents have higher autism risks in their offspring. Schizotypal traits were found to be associated with fast life history strategies. Schizotypal traits like higher verbal or artistic creativity due to magical ideation, paranoid thoughts, unusual cognitive or perceptual experiences, etc. When these traits go too far and someone develops outright schizophrenia, then these traits become maladaptive. ADHD was associated with less restricted sociosexuality, high impulsivity and aggression and low socioeconomic status. Parents under age 20 might have a higher risk of children with ADHD because it is a fast life history strategy. This study shows that people with ADHD tend to have more sexually adventurous sexual lives, lose their virginity earlier, have more sex partners (especially for women), are more likely to be nonheterosexual (including bisexual), and are more hypersexual. This study instead shows that only women with ADHD lose their virginity earlier or have more sex partners, but that people with ADHD in general tend to be more sexually adventurous but less romantically/sexually satisfied. This study found that teenagers with ADHD had lower rates of physical/sexual intimacy and higher relationship turnover rates, but people with the emotional dysregulation trait of ADHD had an increased likelihood of engaging in relationships, had more romantic partners, had an increased likelihood of engaging in intercourse and unprotected sex. Nonetheless, this sample was of adolescents about ages 14 to 15. This study found that teenagers with ADHD differed sexually from their neurotypical peers. They had more romantic partners, but girls had shorter relationships and boys had an almost 2 year earlier average age of first intercourse. Regardless of gender, teens with ADHD are twice as many sex partners. This study found that the inattentive type of people with ADHD had more passivity and were less sexually/romantically experienced, and they were the types who were negatively perceived by female confederates and struggled with listening, focusing, paying attention to detail, organizing, planning, etc. People with combined ADHD where they had those traits but also difficulty staying seated, fidgeting, interrupting, excessive talking, restlessness, etc. were the types who had lost their virginity earlier, were more experienced with sex and higher sexual desire. The fact that fast life history strategies are associated with ADHD explains why parents under age 20 are more likely to give birth to children with ADHD and why people with ADHD have sex earlier or engage in promiscuity or sexually adventurous behaviors more. This explains why research has shown that people with ADHD have children earlier. This study finds that men and women with ADHD have higher numbers of children at age 20 and 25, but by age 30 and beyond, men with ADHD had a lower number of children than other men but women with ADHD had the same number of children as other women. People with ADHD might be having their children earlier but other people catch up or have more children than them in the long term, but at later ages because they lack a fast life history. The study also found that people with ADHD were more likely to become parents as teens. This study found that ADHD was linked to higher teen pregnancy rates, but lower ones if they used long-term ADHD medication. This Swedish study also found that teenage girls with ADHD had a higher teen pregnancy risk. This study found that teen pregnancy is more common for teens with ADHD, and persistent ADHD traits, academic performance, and especially deliquency/substance use were the mediators of this relationship.
CONCLUSION
I think eugenics can be good if done correctly. There's some evidence that shows ADHD is an adaptive trait that is hard to deal with in a society where people sit in school and whatnot. Certain autistic-like traits could be useful as a slow life history strategy and schizotypal traits could be good for a fast life history strategy, but actually having autism or schizophrenia is highly maladaptive. The only autism that could be slightly useful is very, very high-functioning autism, and those are the only autists pushing neurodiversity. Most people on here probably aren't on the most mild part of the spectrum. This is why ADHD is far more prevalent than autism and schizophrenia. Traits that are mostly maladaptive will have rare prevalence rates. Intellectual disabilities also are very maladaptive. Do disabilities make life inherently worse? Yes, especially ones like autism and intellectual disabilities.
Parents can make the choice to not have certain children, and can look up the risk factors and do what they can to deter it. I don't think autistic people should be forbidden from having kids. It's their choice, but it should be recommended that if anything, they should adopt. It's inhumane to bring a child into this world who will inevitably have a shitty life. Voluntary eugenics can be useful.
For example, this study showed that while parents under age 20 had a higher risk of having autistic children, the evidence was inconsistent and not as much an issue of increased risk. The risk was unequivocally and consistently much higher when the parents were middle-aged. Additionally, an age gap of more than 10 years also increased the risk, even controlling for parental age of the age gap couple. The study did not control for socioeconomic status or potential parental psychiatric history. Nonetheless, at least one of those same researchers used a meta-analysis of several studies and a large sample size, and after adjusting for many potential confounders, including socioeconomic status and paternal age, it was found that mothers under age 20 had a lower risk of autistic children but women at least age 35 had a higher risk. This meta-analysis also found that higher maternal or paternal age was associated with higher autism risk, and that an increase of 10 years in maternal age and paternal age caused an 18% increase and 21% increase. Meanwhile, a decrease in paternal age by 10 years was associated with a 26% reduction. This study says it cannot conclude causation, despite association. A meta-analysis found that ADHD was associated with younger maternal and paternal age. Nonetheless, ADHD is not as maladaptive as autism. This meta-analysis found that while intellectual disabilities were more likely when a mother was at least age 35, it was also associated with pre-term birth, maternal alcohol/tobacco use, low birth weights, low maternal education, at least 3 previous children from the mother, preeclampsia, maternal diabetes, and maternal asthma. Intellectual disabilities were not more likely when a mother was under age 20. According to this meta-analysis, older fathers, particular ones past age 50, have a higher risk of having schizophrenic children, and the risk is only slightly higher for fathers under age 25. Age was not associated with the risk of schizophrenic children for mothers.
Even this article talks about it: parents can make choices about what they want for their kids, and we can make eugenics available for everyone so there isn't any inequality where only rich people have this choice. We shouldn't forcibly sterilize certain people or use eugenics for preventing certain races from being born. Disabilities and disorders DO make things worse for people, including autism, which I have. Autism, especially if you're not on the most mild part of the spectrum, is maladaptive, and can cause chronic social isolation, arrested development, and reduced fertility. This doesn't happen so much with people who have ADHD. Research shows that while schizophrenia and autism and both highly maladaptive and involve reduced fertility, especially for men with these conditions and their brothers, autistic-like traits and schizotypal traits were adaptive, but people who outright have these conditions deal with something so maladaptive that they tend to experience maladaptive struggles instead. For example, outright autism is a maladaptive manifestation of otherwise adaptive traits. That's why it's a slow life history strategy for people to have autistic-like traits, and they'll have lower sex drives, less risk behaviors, higher parental investments, higher allocation of resources, lower mating effort, etc. It is a male-typical manifestation of a slow life history strategy and explains why men are more likely to be autistic. Women with more autistic-like traits also sexually mature later. Autistic-like traits that are adaptive tend to be examples like restricted interests and behaviors being associated with talents in children, technical-scientific interests and careers, higher systemizing abilities and attention to detail, enhanced low level sensory processing, better visuospatial skills, etc. Autistic-like traits are a slow life history strategy. This explains why older parents have higher autism risks in their offspring. Schizotypal traits were found to be associated with fast life history strategies. Schizotypal traits like higher verbal or artistic creativity due to magical ideation, paranoid thoughts, unusual cognitive or perceptual experiences, etc. When these traits go too far and someone develops outright schizophrenia, then these traits become maladaptive. ADHD was associated with less restricted sociosexuality, high impulsivity and aggression and low socioeconomic status. Parents under age 20 might have a higher risk of children with ADHD because it is a fast life history strategy. This study shows that people with ADHD tend to have more sexually adventurous sexual lives, lose their virginity earlier, have more sex partners (especially for women), are more likely to be nonheterosexual (including bisexual), and are more hypersexual. This study instead shows that only women with ADHD lose their virginity earlier or have more sex partners, but that people with ADHD in general tend to be more sexually adventurous but less romantically/sexually satisfied. This study found that teenagers with ADHD had lower rates of physical/sexual intimacy and higher relationship turnover rates, but people with the emotional dysregulation trait of ADHD had an increased likelihood of engaging in relationships, had more romantic partners, had an increased likelihood of engaging in intercourse and unprotected sex. Nonetheless, this sample was of adolescents about ages 14 to 15. This study found that teenagers with ADHD differed sexually from their neurotypical peers. They had more romantic partners, but girls had shorter relationships and boys had an almost 2 year earlier average age of first intercourse. Regardless of gender, teens with ADHD are twice as many sex partners. This study found that the inattentive type of people with ADHD had more passivity and were less sexually/romantically experienced, and they were the types who were negatively perceived by female confederates and struggled with listening, focusing, paying attention to detail, organizing, planning, etc. People with combined ADHD where they had those traits but also difficulty staying seated, fidgeting, interrupting, excessive talking, restlessness, etc. were the types who had lost their virginity earlier, were more experienced with sex and higher sexual desire. The fact that fast life history strategies are associated with ADHD explains why parents under age 20 are more likely to give birth to children with ADHD and why people with ADHD have sex earlier or engage in promiscuity or sexually adventurous behaviors more. This explains why research has shown that people with ADHD have children earlier. This study finds that men and women with ADHD have higher numbers of children at age 20 and 25, but by age 30 and beyond, men with ADHD had a lower number of children than other men but women with ADHD had the same number of children as other women. People with ADHD might be having their children earlier but other people catch up or have more children than them in the long term, but at later ages because they lack a fast life history. The study also found that people with ADHD were more likely to become parents as teens. This study found that ADHD was linked to higher teen pregnancy rates, but lower ones if they used long-term ADHD medication. This Swedish study also found that teenage girls with ADHD had a higher teen pregnancy risk. This study found that teen pregnancy is more common for teens with ADHD, and persistent ADHD traits, academic performance, and especially deliquency/substance use were the mediators of this relationship.
CONCLUSION
I think eugenics can be good if done correctly. There's some evidence that shows ADHD is an adaptive trait that is hard to deal with in a society where people sit in school and whatnot. Certain autistic-like traits could be useful as a slow life history strategy and schizotypal traits could be good for a fast life history strategy, but actually having autism or schizophrenia is highly maladaptive. The only autism that could be slightly useful is very, very high-functioning autism, and those are the only autists pushing neurodiversity. Most people on here probably aren't on the most mild part of the spectrum. This is why ADHD is far more prevalent than autism and schizophrenia. Traits that are mostly maladaptive will have rare prevalence rates. Intellectual disabilities also are very maladaptive. Do disabilities make life inherently worse? Yes, especially ones like autism and intellectual disabilities.
Parents can make the choice to not have certain children, and can look up the risk factors and do what they can to deter it. I don't think autistic people should be forbidden from having kids. It's their choice, but it should be recommended that if anything, they should adopt. It's inhumane to bring a child into this world who will inevitably have a shitty life. Voluntary eugenics can be useful.
