Some Nazi Doctors vs Some Canadian Doctors
It has been presumed that permitting physicians to terminate the lives of terminally ill patients upon their request will not engender the same medical outcomes that German physicians achieved before and during World War II.
As I observe the unfolding of euthanasia in Canada, I am increasingly skeptical about the veracity of the above assertion.
Consequently, I have conducted research on the subject of medical killing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Europe. My findings are concerning, yet I have discovered that I am not alone in this apprehension. In recent years, a collaborative effort of physicians has been established to educate our medical students and residents about medicine during the Nazi and Holocaust eras.
Here are some of my findings regarding that period in European history and their comparison to contemporary Canadian society’s stance on medical euthanasia.
Comparison of Germany’s medical system in the early 1900s and Canada’s today
THEN in Germany
During the early 1900s prominent intellectuals were writing about the value of medical killing. The phrase “Life unworthy of life” was coined and became wide spread originating in North America and spreading to Europe. Books and films about it were shared with the population.
NOW in Canada
During the early 2000s, the media began sharing stories and films on the “indignity of dying”. The phrase “Death with Dignity” became wide spread. Result is public polls changed from 20-30% seeing physician assisted death as acceptable to over 60% seeing it as acceptable. All in the span of less than a decade. It surprises me how many Canadians today still consider the phrase “life unworthy of life” as being valid, even in the church.
THEN in Germany
Society was accepting humanism and biomedical worldview of life.
NOW in Canada
Society has accepted humanism, biomedical model of life, and is accepting their child, secularism as the preferred worldview of life
THEN in Germany
WW1 had destroyed cultural norms with anarchy and chaos everywhere. This vacuum awaited a “strong” leader to fill.
NOW in Canada
“Progressive” individualism today has taken hold leaving people floundering in an unstructured culture equivalent to the anarchy after WW1 but this anarchy is existential in nature. People are asking what is “normal societal behaviour”. The ultimate goal of “me first” or “I control my body” has as end point anarchy and lack of self identity. This created vacuum awaits a “strong” leader to fill.
THEN in Germany
In the 1930s, medical killing of congenitally deformed German newborns and young children was being done with the blessing of the National Socialism Society (Nazism). This started off with parental consent, then medical coercion to consent, then without parental consent (just letting the parents know through a condolence card). It did not take long for involuntary euthanasia to start.
NOW in Canada
Medical killing is being done prenatally since the 1960s through abortion as we have the diagnostic ability to determine congenital deformity before birth comes. This started with the mother being offered the diagnostic screening but many mothers are now telling us they are being “pressured” to have the screening and then are further coerced by saying only if they consent to abortion will the test be done. This is all done while the government turns a blind eye which is one form of consent or “blessing” the fact it is being done.
THEN in Germany
Mentally ill German patients and disabled German patients were being euthanized with or without consent. Why? They did not have good medical tools to control mental illness back then nor were there many tools to help the disabled. But predominantly, the belief in eugenics made it “necessary” to get rid of bad genetic pool.
NOW in Canada
Canada has medical tools for mental illness today and many more resources to help the disabled today but
a) we don’t have or don’t want to perfect tools for control of “existential suffering” or “fear of death” so we euthanize these instead ..or
b) the expense to provide adequate resources is too much to address existential suffering so it is more economically “prudent” to euthanize. All of this is done under the guise of “informed consent”.
This is done with the blessings of the government.
THEN in Germany
Public outcry to this medical killing occurred during the mid 1930s and so Hitler gave directive to stop it. But it did not stop.
NOW in Canada
Beginnings of public outcry, UN outcry, and international organization outcry are occurring in Canada but “progressive” rulers do not want to rescind the permission to euthanize. In fact they want to expand it.
Even if our leaders did attempt to rescind permission to euthanize, there are a few Canadian physicians who would cry, “Government interference in physician-patient confidentiality decisions” and just carry on.
THEN in Germany
A period of “wild” euthanasia occurred after the directive to stop was given. Euthanasia continued at the discretion of the physician, usually without patient or parental consent.
NOW in Canada
Canada is now in this realm of “wild” euthanasia. Over 10% of MAiD deaths are performed beyond the legal criteria. Allowing euthanasia for children and newborns is being requested by medical organizations. And Quebec has said advanced directives are as good as current “consent” even if the patient lacks capacity.. In other words, the timing of “involuntary euthanasia” is at the discretion of family and/or physician, not the patient. If one physician rescinds or denies a request for MAiD, another physician can be found who will approve the request and lethally inject the patient.
THEN in Germany
The ethics around honouring the Hippocratic Oath, “do no harm”, and medical killing was buried with euphemisms like “mercy killing”, “special therapy” and technical issues. The moral issue was no longer addressed. It was only a “medical” issue. The Nazi regime asked everyone who followed them to take an alternate oath.
NOW in Canada
The ethics of the Hippocratic Oath have been updated to “suit our present modern day”. We now have medical students being taught the ethical validity of medical killing without mention of “do no harm”. Euphemisms abound like “compassion and choice”, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), Death with Dignity. The moral issue around medical killing is considered irrelevant. It is only a “medical” issue. Most medical schools have developed their own form of oath which modifies or eliminates“do no harm”.
THEN in Germany
There was no accountability strong enough to counter “wild” euthanasia because the authorities were not interested.
NOW in Canada
There is no accountability from medical colleges, law, or government in Canada. Why? They are not interested or secretly condone it or are afraid of the repercussions if they did discipline.
THEN in Germany
When WWII came in the 1940s, those considered “less than” human were euthanized because they were irremediably ill, or of an “inferior” racial gene pool - Polish, Lithuaian, or Jewish… genocide. Before WWII, euthanasia was not a genocidal event, it was a German medical event.
NOW in Canada
Those who cannot be helped with our existing medical tools are being considered as having “lost” their humanity status thus are “second class” humans….The stage has been set. The medical personnel and system has been tested and established. Medical killing in Canada is the same as Germany was in the 1930s. The step of genocide as outlined by a recent document from the UN awaits the approval of a ruling ideologue during a national crisis.
It seems we humans never learn from history. We think we are better than our ancestors… Unfortunately we are not.