Silencing the Singer Antibioethics in Germany

Abstract

"Die Gedanken sind frei," in the words of the old song. But in Germany, thoughts are no longer free. Peter Singer, the "death ethicist," has become a special target for activists attempting to silence bioethical debate in Germany. In the context of the trauma inflicted by National Socialism, a profound unease over issues at the end of life is accompanied by an insistence that these issues are not to be discussed.

Limitation of treatment at the end of life: an empirical-ethical analysis regarding the practices of physician members of the German Society for Palliative Medicine

“…One characteristic of the German debate is the historical context. The murdering of patients under the label of ‘euthanasia’ during the Nazi regime has influenced the public and scientific debate and, for a long time, there has been a taboo with respect to an open discussion about physicians' end-of-life practices in medicine 4 5. A second characteristic of this debate—which is relevant not only for Germany but has also been discussed with respect to physicians' end-of-life practices in other countries6 7—is the frequent confusion regarding the distinction between acts and omission at the end of life and their relevance for the ethical and legal analysis.…”

The Global, the Local, and the Parochial

“…Framed this way it is clear from the outset who the "good guys" and who the "bad guys" are, without a further exploration of the complexities of the argumentation in question. Accordingly, intellectual exchange is replaced by defamation or even overt hostilities [8]. This kind of anti-utilitarianism fits well with a general "anti-bioethics" attitude, which suspects that "bioethicists" are in fact just servants to the biotechnological industry.…”

Exploring normativity in disability studies

“…Understandably, many disability activists and researchers have had a critical and hostile attitude towards philosophy and philosophers (Oliver 2007;Schöne-Seifert and Rippe 1991). Speculations about the moral significance of individual characteristics have been abandoned as disablist and even eugenic (Koch 2011), and the mere humanity of all disabled people has been seen as the axiomatic foundation of their equal, unquestionable moral worth.…”