“Everything for the Benefit of Man, Everything for the Sake of Man!”: Genetic Counselling in Socialist Bulgaria
Keywords:
genetic counselling; disability; selective abortion; socialism; prophylaxisAbstract
This paper examines the process of introduction and popularization of genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis in socialist Bulgaria, and the efforts of human genetics experts to “bring these practices closer to the population”. In keeping with the preventive spirit of the socialist model of public health, these practices were declared to be forms of “prophylaxis” – a term that largely obscures and mitigates the fundamental moral dilemmas associated with the fact that, in this context, “prophylaxis” often meant selective abortion. This practice, with its clear eugenic implications, has long been a focal point of critique from bioethicists, disability activists, and academics. Drawing on both scholarly and popular publications by leading Bulgarian geneticists, as well as on archival documents, the paper traces how this preventive undertaking unfolded, how it was framed by experts, and what images of disability were mobilized to promote these practices and to responsibilize socialist citizens in the sphere of reproduction.
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