Answers Quote by Margaret Sanger
![“There is only one reply to a request for a higher birthrate among the intelligent, and that is to ask the government to first take the burden of the insane and feeble-minded from your back. [Mandatory] sterilization for these is the answer.” quote by Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c05/margaret-sanger-3929_answers_there-is-only-one-reply-to-a-request-for_2644448.jpg)
“There is only one reply to a request for a higher birthrate among the intelligent, and that is to ask the government to first take the burden of the insane and feeble-minded from your back. [Mandatory] sterilization for these is the answer.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Sterilization Debate” (early 20th‑century eugenics writing)
Advocates forced sterilization of the “insane and feeble‑minded” as a prerequisite to encouraging higher birthrates among the intelligent.
In simple terms: Promotes eugenic control.
Key Takeaway
Question ethical implications.
Themes
eugenics
population control
ethics
public policy
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
historical
ethical
When to use this quote
- public health policy
- legislation
- social welfare debates
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
historical eugenics
human rights
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we protect vulnerable populations today?
- What safeguards prevent eugenic policies?
A Different Perspective
The view is morally abhorrent and historically discredited.
![“Give dysgenic groups [people with 'bad genes'] in our population their choice of segregation or [compulsory] sterilization.” quote by Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d0d/margaret-sanger-3929_choices_give-dysgenic-groups-people-with-bad-gen_1563058.jpg)
![“Hordes of people [are] born, who live, yet who have done absolutely nothing to advance the race one iota. Their lives are hopeless repetitions… Such human weeds clog up the path, drain up the energies and the resources of this little earth. We must clear the way for a better world; we must…” quote by Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ffb/margaret-sanger-3929_absolutely-nothing_hordes-of-people-are-born-who-live-yet-w_202238.jpg)
