The ugly legacy of Nazi doctors resurfaces
by Xavier Symons | 17 Sep 2016 | 1 comment
A prestigious research institute in Germany has been forced to dispose of 100 human brain specimens after discovering they were sourced from illicit medical research conducted during and after WWII.
The Max Planck Psychiatric Institute in Munich, Germany, found the specimens in their collection during a renovation last year. They had arrived at the Institute in 2001, and had belonged to the estate of Julius Hallervorden, a German psychiatrist and member of the Nazi party. Following the Second World War, Hallervorden admitted to having performed experiments on executed prisoners and the disabled; it is likely that some of the specimens were taken from the bodies of executed prisoners and involuntarily euthanized patients.
In the wake of the controversy, the Max Planck Society has announced that it will be conducting a comprehensive review of all human specimens stored at it Institutes.
The directors of the Planck Institute said that they were “shocked” and “ashamed” by the recent discovery.
Today is a landmark, of sorts. It marks the first time that a child has been euthanised under contemporary euthanasia laws. Of course, euthanising infants is relatively common, but not children who are old enough to be asked if they really want to die. The death occurred last week in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, although it was announced today by Belgium's euthanasia supremo, Wim Distelmans. His words were very sober and solemn, as befits the occasion, but I suspect that he and his colleagues are quietly happy to see the boundaries of euthanasia spread even further.
Ultimately this is a triumph for out-and-out nihilism, not just Belgium's inventive euthanasia lobby. Nihilism is a philosophical fad which seems to catching on. Below we feature a report on three American bioethicists who argue the case for population control to fight climate change and a defense of infanticide by a Finnish bioethicist. I've also just discovered a new book by South African philosopher David Benatar. In it he argues that procreation is morally wrong because life's a bitch and then you die (I am over-simplifying, of course.) He concludes his book with these cheerful thoughts:
Every birth is a future death. Between the birth and the death there is bound to be plenty of unpleasantness ... Inflicting serious harm—or even the risk of it—on one person, without his or her consent, in order to benefit others, is presumptively wrong.
If I'm right, euthanising a child is not an terminus for Belgian euthanasia, but just a bus stop en route to pure nihilism. What its supporters are trying to eliminate is not just pain, but life itself. What do you think?
Michael Cook
Editor
BioEdge
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It may be too optimistic about the future, but it is a good overview of a complex field.BioEdge
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