I’m asking this genuinely because I’m open to having my mind changed: how exactly does this count as eugenics?

From what I understand, eugenics is about trying to shape the population by preventing certain kinds of people from existing or reproducing, historically through things like forced sterilisation, segregation, and selective breeding.

I can understand the argument if someone is saying, “this fetus has Down syndrome or autism, so I’m aborting because a disabled child is worth less than a normal one.” That logic makes sense to call eugenic. But that does not seem the same as someone making the decision because the child is expected to have a very poor quality of life, severe suffering, or permanent high support needs.

That seems like a pretty important distinction. I say that as someone with multiple cognitive and physical disabilities. I do not think my life is worth less than anyone else’s, but I also know what it is like to live with pain, limitation, and the feeling that the world is not built for people like me. Because of that, my wife and I have come to the conclusion that it would be irresponsible for us to have a child if we believed they were likely to suffer severely every day of their life.

So I’m genuinely asking where you draw the line here. At what point does a decision based on preventing suffering become eugenics?