Activity 7: Euthanasia and Nazi Germany

In 1939 the Nazis secretly began to murder mentally ill and disabled men, women and children.  This included people who were terminally ill and alcoholics. These people did not fit the Aryan ideal of the super-race.  They were gassed and injected with poison.

This programme paved the way for the genocide of the Jewish people.

Between 1939 and 1941, 72,000 people were murdered in this 'euthanasia' programme.  The programme was officially stopped when the Church found out about it and public protests were held.  No such protests were later made when the Jews were gassed.

The dictionary defines euthanasia thus:

In Nazi Germany, the term ‘euthanasia’ was used to make murder sound acceptable.  The programme was nothing to do with helping terminally ill people to die with dignity, which is the main argument used by people who support legal euthanasia.  Neither was the programme voluntary in Nazi Germany.  The Nazi euthanasia programme was designed to murder people who the Nazis did not want in their society.

The Nazi 'euthanasia' programme was totally different to our understanding of the word today.  But today there is still much controversy surrounding the subject.

In Holland today voluntary euthanasia is legal.  In Britain it is not legal.  There are arguments for and against euthanasia becoming legal practice.  

What effect do you think the Nazi 'euthanasia' programme might have on making some people object to euthanasisa being legalised today?

Why do you think there were public protests about the Nazi euthanasia programme against disabled and mentally ill people?

Why do you think there were no such protests against the killing of Jews?