ABSTRACT
In 1949 Leo Alexander, a physician, wrote an article “Medical Science Under Dictatorship” which recounts the abuses of medical procedures during the period of German Fascism. 1 Alexander argues that the early, and seemingly innocuous, abolition of controls over euthanasia and abortion created a moral “slippery slope.” The readiness of physicians to cooperate or look the other way during the Holocaust had its roots, Alexander argues, in these early decisions of medical convenience. Though the debate about the morality of euthanasia and abortion has continued to rage through the years, along with questions about responsibility for the Holocaust, it is not these arguments but another aspect of Alexander’s article that is instructive for the theme of my work.
