Final answer:
Eugenics, influenced by disability studies, led to widespread abuse and violation of rights, including forced sterilization and marriage prohibition for people with disabilities and minorities. The movement significantly affected public policy and societal attitudes, with grave human rights violations being its most notorious impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
Eugenics, analyzed by disability studies, resulted in policies and practices that severely limited the rights and freedoms of people with disabilities, including forced sterilizations and marriage prohibitions. Driven by the want for a so-called superior genetic population, the eugenics movement was marked by grave violations of human rights.
The movement was not a quiet side note in history, but a significant and widespread force, primarily in the early to mid-20th century, influencing public policy and attitudes in the United States and other countries. Its most harrowing legacy includes state-sponsored sterilization programs and the endorsement of these practices by the Supreme Court in the case of Buck v. Bell. This dark chapter in medical and social history underscores how pseudoscientific ideas can lead to systemic discrimination and abuse, especially when entwined with racism and xenophobia, as it also targeted people of color and minorities.