Life Unworthy of Living

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jan 22, 2005

All correspondence was subject to rigid "language rules," and, except in reports from the Einsatzgruppen, it is rare to find documents in which such bald words as "extermination," "liquidation," or "killing" occur. The prescribed code names for killing were "final solution" (Endlösung), "evacuation (Aussiedlung), and "special treatment" (Sonderbehandlung); ... Moreover the very term "language rule" (Sprachregelung) was itself a code name; it meant what in ordinary language would be called a lie. ... The net effect of this language system was not to keep these people ignorant of what they were doing, but to prevent them from equating it with their old, "normal" knowledge of murder and lies. -- Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem.

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To the extent possible, abortion should be a humane and compassionate procedure and although it involves the termination of fetal life, we approach that termination with respect and compassion. Thus, we would recommend that those who provide abortion provide the option of fetal anesthesia -- Frances Kissling, Catholics for a Free Choice.