Obj: To explore the reasons against the legalisation of euthanasia. Murder or Mercy? Obj: To explore the reasons against the legalisation of euthanasia.

The Hippocratic oath The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by doctors swearing to practice medicine honestly and ethically. It is believed to have come from Hippocrates (an ancient Greek physician), who is often regarded as the father of western medicine.

The original hippocratic oath… I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is harmful and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art.

What if …Euthanasia was made legal? Anyone not completely healthy might be pushed into it Doctors would have too much power Life would lose its’ value People with no family could have their lives ended easily Relatives would pressurise people to die People would make the decision while still in shock

In shock? A promising rugby player who was paralysed in a training ground accident became the youngest ever British person to die by using an assisted suicide clinic. Daniel James, 23, travelled to Switzerland with his parents to die – 18 months after he lost the use of his body from the chest down when a scrum collapsed on top of him during a practice session in March 2007.

Nazi propaganda contrasting how far 5. 50 Reichsmark will go Nazi propaganda contrasting how far 5.50 Reichsmark will go. The cost of feeding one person with a hereditary disease for one day is the same as it would cost to feed an entire family of healthy Germans. Nazi propaganda : "This person suffering from hereditary defects costs the community 60,000 Reichsmark during his lifetime. Fellow German, that is your money, too."

If we look back to German society of the twenties and thirties, we find a civilized culture not so unlike our own. As a nation, Germans were like us – intelligent, aware human beings. Gradually Germans were convinced that euthanasia was a good option for society to help people have a gentle and easy death. However, the Nazis had their own ideas about who should be given euthanasia. They began selecting people who they thought were a ‘burden’ to society and a ‘disgrace’ to Germany. “If Germany was to get a million children a year and was to remove 700-800,000 of the weakest people, then the final result might even be an increase in strength.” Hitler

The Nazi euthanasia program, code-named "Operation-T4," set out to eliminate "life unworthy of life." Buses used to transport patients to Hadamar euthanasia centre. The windows were painted to prevent people from seeing those inside.

Due to the increasing propaganda in Germany, many parents of disabled children felt pressured because in the streets they were subject to abuse.

German hospitals began to deprive disabled children of heat and food - slowly starving the disabled children in their care until they died of "natural causes." They believed that they were doing a service to Germany by eliminating these drains on public taxes.

Euthanasia was given to the physically and mentally handicapped – the deaf and blind, people who had had strokes or heart-attacks or simply people who had depression. The benefits to society would be great, they said, as money previously devoted to the care of those with "meaningless lives" would be given to the healthy who could reproduce and build a strong Germany. More than 400,000 people were sterilized against their will while 70,000 were killed.