Year: 2000 Source: Gerontology, v.46, no.4, (July-August 2000), p.212-218 SIEC No: 20010495

The present survey, from the point of view of forensic medicine, begins with a look at current terminology & the laws pertaining to euthanasia in Germany. These laws are then contrasted with actual practice, including a description of the increasing acceptance of active euthanasia by the German population & its legalization in Holland. The main arguments for & against euthanasia are reviewed. A fundamental argument against active euthanasia in Germany is the history of mass killing during the Nazi era. It is stated that as a consequence, in Germany active euthanasia will not receive legal sanction, although recommendations on rendering dying more bearable are permitted. (72 refs.)