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From: stever@videovax.UUCP (Steven E. Rice)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: References to the Holocaust
Message-ID: <1542@videovax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Feb-86 12:26:15 EST
Article-I.D.: videovax.1542
Posted: Tue Feb 11 12:26:15 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 22:01:20 EST
Reply-To: stever@videovax.UUCP (Steven E. Rice)
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Organization: Tektronix, Comm Group, TV R&D
Lines: 109

Line eater, line eater, eat up my line. . . (to the tune of "Matchmaker")

There have been several articles over the past few weeks requesting
or demanding that those who oppose abortion stop referring to the
Holocaust in their postings.  I can understand why supporters of 
abortion don't want the Holocaust referred to.  I can also understand
why a recent writer asked that such postings not also be posted
to _net.religion.jewish_.  I'm not sure that cross-posting is necessary
or wise.  I am sure, however, that the Holocaust should continue to
be mentioned in the context of abortion.

Although the Holocaust is usually considered to have been an assault
on *one* group, Jews were not the only victims.  In fact, Jews were not
even the first victims!  The methods used for murdering millions of
Jews were developed in killing centers for the chronically sick.
Dr. Leo Alexander, a Boston psychiatrist, was a consultant to the
Secretary of War and on duty with the office of the Chief of Counsel for
War Crimes in Nuremberg in 1946 and 1947.  In 1949, the _New England
Journal of Medicine_ published his paper, "Medical Science Under
Dictatorship" (241:39-47, July 14, 1949).  In it, Dr. Alexander
reported:

   Irrespective of other ideological trappings, the guiding philosophic
   principle of recent dictatorships, including that of the Nazis, has
   been Hegelian in that what has been considered "rational utility"
   and corresponding doctrine and planning has replaced moral, ethical,
   and religious values. . .

   Medical science in Nazi Germany collaborated with this Hegelian trend
   particularly in the following enterprises: the mass extermination of
   the chronically sick in the interest of saving "useless" expenses to
   the community as a whole; the mass extermination of those considered
   socially disturbing or racially and ideologically unwanted; the
   individual, inconspicuous extermination of those considered disloyal
   within the ruling group; and the ruthless use of "human experimental
   material" for medico-military research. . .

   It started with the acceptance of the attitude basic in the euthanasia
   movement, that there is such a thing as a life not worthy to be lived. . .

All of this did not begin with Hitler, either.  The word "euthanasia" is
found as early as 1920 in a book published in Germany by Karl Binding and
Alfred Hoche, _The Release of the Destruction of Life Devoid of Value_.
Again quoting from Dr. Alexander:

   [Before Hitler came to power in 1933] a propaganda barrage was directed
   against the traditional, compassionate, nineteenth-century attitudes
   towards the chronically ill, and for the adoption of a utilitarian,
   Hegelian point of view.  Sterilization and euthanasia of persons with
   chronic mental illnesses was discussed at a meeting of Bavarian
   psychiatrists in 1931.

Dr. Alexander's list of those who were killed reminds me of people
I know: the aged (my parents); the infirm (a blind man and a paraplegic,
both of whom work here); the senile (my 90-year-old aunt, who loves and
is loved by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and
who still plays golf, but is increasingly confused); the mentally
retarded (the son of friends -- the boy is active and cheerful despite 
Down's Syndrome); and defective children.  As World War II approached, 
the dragnet widened to include epileptics, World War I amputees, 
children with poorly-formed ears, and bed wetters.  Dr. Alexander
reports that a total of 275,000 people were murdered in killing centers
dedicated to elimination of these undesirables.

The language used to whitewash what was occurring is instructive: the 
organization responsible for the killing of children was called the
"Realm's Committee for Scientific Approach to Severe Illness Due to
Heredity and Constitution."  Victims were taken to the killing centers
by "The Charitable Transport Company for the Sick."  Dr. Alexander reports
that to reduce the burden these murders posed to the treasury, "The
Charitable Foundation for Institutional Care" was "in charge of collecting
the cost of the killings from the relatives without, however, informing
them what the charges were for; in the death certificates the cause of
death was falsified."

Under the heading, "The Early Change in Medical Attitudes," Dr. Alexander
warned that ALL OF THIS STARTED WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE ATTITUDE THAT
THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A LIFE NOT WORTHY TO BE LIVED.  The Holocaust 
is of great importance as an illustration and a warning to us of the
consequences of seemingly "rational" decisions.  As such, it is not the
property of any one group -- the lesson is a lesson for all of humanity,
just as the loss was a loss for all of humanity.

Those who oppose abortion should continue to refer to the Holocaust as
an example of what man can do and has done to his fellow man.  It is all
too easy to get into rarified, theoretical arguments about abortion (or
any other subject) and forget that the philosophical underpinnings for
our actions have consequences that we cannot always foresee.  Also,
unlike arguments that start, "In Scripture, God says. . .", the Holocaust
cannot be lightly dismissed as simply a figment of unscientific beliefs.

I would encourage all of you who are interested in abortion (presumably
everyone who has read this far) to read _Whatever Happened to the Human
Race?_ (Koop, C. Everett, M.D., and Francis A. Schaeffer, Crossway Books,
Westchester, Illinois, 1983, ISBN 0-89107-291-8).  Those who oppose
abortion will gain new insights into the roots of the present situation.
Those who support abortion will at least gain a better understanding of
why those who oppose abortion do so with such tenacity.

The Holocaust occurred at a specific point in history, in a country that
still exists, killing people whom we can know by name.  The Holocaust
is a *fact* -- a great, ugly blotch on history that sounds a warning
to those who believe in God and to those who choose to ignore Him.  We
ignore the Holocaust at our peril.

					Steve Rice

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