In the Public Good: Eugenics and the Law in Ontario.

This text reviews *In the Public Good: Eugenics and the Law in Ontario*, which examines the intersection of eugenic ideas and legal efforts in Ontario between 1910 and 1938. The book challenges previous assumptions that little eugenic activity occurred in Ontario by analyzing three case studies: legislative attempts to mandate sterilization and restrict marriage among the "unfit," royal commissions addressing sterilization recommendations, and the 1936 trial of Dorothea Palmer for distributing birth control information. Despite sustained efforts, eugenic legislation failed due to insufficient political and public support. The work also compares Ontario’s experience with Alberta’s eugenic legislation, providing a nuanced legal and historical perspective on the topic.