The Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases

"Several times a week buses arrive in Hadamard with a considerable number of such victims. School children of the vicinity know this vehicle and say 'here comes the murder-box again'. After the arrival of the vehicle, the citizens of Hadamar watch the smoke rise out of the chimney...

The effect of the principles at work here are that children call each other names and say 'you're crazy; you'll be sent to the baking oven in Hadamar'...."

~Taken from a letter dated August 13, 1941 (written by Dr. Hilfrich, the Bishop of Limburg, to the Reich Minister of Justice)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Hartheim Castle - Euthanasia Killing Center

The horrible killings of the Holocaust began with "the Law for the Prevention of the Hereditary Diseases" on July 14, 1933, eight years before the first Jews were ever murdered in a gas chamber.

Click here to read the Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases:

The Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases

From 1939 to 1945 between 250,000 and 300,000 Germans were sterilized and between 200,000 and 250,000 people were killed under the Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases. These victims were people who were seen as unfit to reproduce or as a Burden to Society because they were either mentally or physically Disabled. Many of those who were victimized by this barbaric law suffered from disorders such as schizophrenia or epilepsy or physical disabilities such as blindness or deafness. 

Helene Melanie Lebel

Helene was one of 9,772 German citizens to be murdered in a gas chamber in 1940. Her family was told that she died of "acute schizophrenic excitement" in her hospital bed.

Click Here to read more about the implications and victims of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases. Also visit Nazi Persecution of the Disabled. Click Here to see pictures relating to the euthanasia program.

 Friedrich Mennecke

Friedrich Mennecke was a loving husband, devoted father, and vicious killer. He was one of the head Physicians responsible for choosing which disabled persons and antisocials would be "disposed of." Mennecke administered a mental evaluation (Questionnaire) to potential euthanasia and gas chamber victims. His crimes cost him his life in 1946 after World War II and the fall of the regime.

Click Here to read a letter written by Mennecke to his wife.

Karl Brandt

Karl Brandt was the Director of the Euthanasia Program; like Mennecke he was executed after World War II for crimes against humanity.

Learn more about the Nazi Euthanasia Program 

Learn more about persecution of the handicapped and mentally disabled by visiting Psychology of Genocide

Books to check out:

Crying Hands

The Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases was just the beginning.

Hitler had much bigger plans in mind..... 

Return to Concentration Camps home page or continue on and read about The Final Solution

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________