Margaret W. Thompson

Margaret Anne Wilson Thompson C.M. Ph.D. LL.D B.A., (7 January 1920 – 3 November 2014) was a prominent researcher in the field of genetics in Canada. She was a member of the Alberta Eugenics Board from 1960 to 1963, before joining the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto to complete research on genetics and pediatrics. Thompson's work earned her the Order of Canada in 1988, although her appointment remains controversial due to her role in the eugenics movement. Thompson testified about her involvement in the Eugenics Board during the Muir v. Alberta case in 1996 and was also interviewed in a documentary about the lawsuit.

Early life and education Margaret Anne Wilson Thompson, also known as "Peggy", was born on 7 January 1920 on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom. At six years of age, she emigrated with her family to Saskatchewan, Canada. Thompson received teacher training at the Saskatoon Teacher's College and worked at rural schools in Saskatchewan for two years. She lived in the prairies until the early 1950s, when Thompson moved to Alberta with her husband, James "Jimmy" Scott Thompson.

The Alberta Eugenics Board consisted of four members at any given time and was in charge of reviewing individual patients’ cases to determine if sterilization was appropriate. Margaret Thompson was a member of the Board from 1960 until 1963, one of only 21 members to serve on the Board in its 43 years of existence and the first member with a substantial background in genetics. Thompson approached all cases that came before the Board with two considerations in mind: "Would they make good parents and would they transmit their biological defects?"

Genetics Advocacy

Canadian Genetics Margaret Thompson was an academic and was featured in multiple Globe and Mail and Toronto Star articles on her research in genetic defects and age, detecting birth defects through genetic testing, incest and her genetic advocacy in Canada and abroad.

These articles often discuss family planning approaches including the use of contraceptive pills for older patients to decrease the number of children born with defects. These articles use economic as well as genetic arguments for decreasing the number of children born with defects, stating that it is for the economic benefit of the population for children with birth defects not to be born. In the 1950s and 1960s there was a transition to more ‘positive’ eugenic measures where the focus shifted from limiting procreation to promoting marriages and family stability within the white middle class, which is reflected in the emphasis on family planning seen in Dr. Thompson's research.

As genetic testing was made available, Thompson advocated for the accessibility of these tests for families expecting children. An additional benefit of this college, it was argued, would be the nationalization and standardization of accreditation for individual geneticists and their guidelines. While at SickKids and the University of Toronto, Thompson continued her research in genetics and also worked in the pediatrics department. One of her areas of research was early detection of Down syndrome. Thompson also served as President of the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists from 1983 to 1984. which are reflected in the demographics of people subjected to compulsory sterilization. Vulnerable groups (particularly orphaned and disabled children; and Métis and First Nations people, women especially) were most disproportionately targeted by the program. Thompson's testimony in Muir v. Alberta also brought to light other common practices of the board including the removal of ovaries of those persons who masturbated or displayed ‘lesbian tendencies’, this was done in an effort to curb sexual activity within the facility. In 2010, Edmonton resident Rob Wells filed a petition with the Governor General of Canada to have Thompson's Order revoked, which was denied. Thompson was honoured by her alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan on 31 May 2001 with an honorary Doctor of Laws. No mention of her position on the eugenics board was made in any of the official transcripts from her awards and honorary doctorate. Thompson died in Toronto on 3 November 2014 at the age of 94.

Notable publications

Heredity, Maternal Age, and Birth Order in the Etiology of Celiac Disease. (1951). American Journal of Human Genetics 3 (2): 159–166. A New Heredity Counseling Service in Western Canada. (1959). Eugenics Quarterly 6, no. 3: 167–70. . Reproduction in Two Female Mongols. (1961). Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology 3 (4): 351–354. 21-Trisomy in a Fertile Female Mongol. (1962). Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology 4 (3): 352–355. Genetic Implications of Heteropycnosis of the X Chromosome. (1965). Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology 7 (2): 202–213. Genetics in Medicine. (1966). Philadelphia: Saunders. Co-written with Thompson, James Scott. Genetic Counseling in Clinical Pediatrics: What to do with Inquiries about Heritable Disorders. (1967). Clinical Review Vol. 6. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Methodology in Human Genetics. (1968). Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology 10 (3): 747-753. Incest. (1976). The Globe and Mail (1936-Current), 6. Unfair Attack. (1991). The Globe and Mail (1936-Current), D7. Genethics: Technological Intervention in Human Reproduction as a Philosophical Problem. (1996). American Journal of Medical Genetics 66 (3): 369-369. The History of a Genetic Disease: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Or Meryon's Disease. (1996). Trends in Genetics 12 (3): 119.