One of the first truly disturbing scenes in "District 9," which highlights the social commentary in the film, depicts Wikus, rather gleefully, conducting what he calls a "Prawn abortion" by disconnecting the nutrient tubes from alien eggs and having MNU security soldiers light the nursery shack in District 9 on fire with flamethrowers. Wikus even provides commentary for the film crew while the shack burns, saying, "Do you hear that? That's a popping sound that you're hearing. It's almost like a popcorn. What the egg does is, it pops up. The little guy, what's left of him, pops out there."
Shortly after the nursery shack is burned, we learn killing alien children is illegal, but apparently performing "Prawn abortions" is simply MNU policy, and is something Wikus embraces. As pointed out in an analysis by The Artifice, "Although Wikus follows direct protocol, he fails to recognize that he's exterminating a species. Wikus displays no remorse towards his actions, suggesting that he's adapted to the government's policies."
This disturbing scene draws corollaries between the film and historical instances of forced sterilization as a means of population control of people of color in South Africa both during and after apartheid. Sadly, real-world South Africa and the South Africa depicted in "District 9" are not unique in this shockingly inhumane behavior. Forced sterilization and eugenics programs have also been practiced in the U.S. on BIPOC populations as recently as the 20th century.
