Life Unworthy of Life: Euthanasia in Nazi Germany – a Rehearsal for the Holocaust
The term “euthanasia” means literally “good death,” and refers to the inducement of a painless death for a terminally ill individual who would otherwise suffer. In the Nazi context, “euthanasia” was a euphemism for a clandestine murder programme for the systematic killing of mentally and physically disabled patients living in institutional settings in Germany and German-annexed territories. The “euthanasia” program represented a rehearsal for Nazi Germany’s subsequent genocidal policies.