The Nazis did kill disabled people, and Terri Schiavo is being killed. That is a similarity.
Many do believe this is not what she wanted, and that she is not in the PVS state being used as a predicate to kill her.
I agree that the Holocaust analogy could be misused, but I don't see any harm in people pointing out that the Nazis killed disabled people using justifications that are being offered now. I have read many people here and elsewhere saying that people "shouldn't live like this" which is not much different from saying people "like this shouldn't live".
My problem with this thing is that we don't know for sure what she wanted, we don't know if she is in a PVS, and I'm greatly bothered killing someone under these circumstances.
I do believe we will see more of these type killings and it's a legitimate thing to be concerned abuot.
And did the Nazis give their victims thousands of man-hours of legal representation by state and federal courts for years deciding whether or not the evidence of her wishes was sufficient? When we make comparisons like this we cheapen history and tell the world that Terri's plight cannot stand on its own merits.
My problem with this thing is that we don't know for sure what she wanted, we don't know if she is in a PVS, and I'm greatly bothered killing someone under these circumstances
I'm on Terri's side on this issue, but nevertheless, the courts have ruled, and unfortunately, if Terri would not have wanted this, it is done.
But it is not a religious, political, or above all, a historical issue.
The average German of that time wasn't some Snidely Whiplash-type character, rolling the tip of his handlebar mustache between his fingers.
People forget how close we always are to slipping over the shallow edge that separates a humane culture from one like Nazi Germany.
The Germans that started executing the disabled, first with the consent of the families, later without, had convinced themselves that they were doing the right thing. They thought it was a merciful, good act.
This goes along with the Pope's characterization of a "disordered sense of compassion." We must always examine our motivations carefully, and maintain respect for life in all cases.