page_title: Nazi eugenics
section_title: Nazi eugenics program
hierarchical_section_title: Nazi eugenics / Nazi eugenics program
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: NS-Tötungsanstalt Hartheim, Abholungsbus mit Fahrer, Foto Niedernhart Prozess. "Deutsche Reichspost. 40 km(/h). (Mercedes-Stern) Diesel. RP-100 855." dunkel matt lackiert, Linkslenker, Startkurbel-Loch, Dachgalerie für Gepäck, Winker und Blinker. Fensterscheiben Passagierraum und Zielanzeige dunkel lackiert, Original-Scheinwerfer abgedeckt, Luftschutzscheinwerfer, weisse Lackierung Stoßstange, Kotblechkontur, Eck-Visierantennen, ohne Aussenspiegel; am Dach: Basis für Anhänger-Dreieck; Hufeisen als Glückssymbol English: Hartheim Nazi killing center, bus with driver
context_page_description: Nazi eugenics refers to the social policies of eugenics in Nazi Germany. The racial ideology of Nazism
  placed the biological improvement of the German people by selective
  breeding of "Nordic" or "Aryan" traits
  at its center.
  Eugenics research in Germany before and during the Nazi period was similar to that in the United States, by which it had been heavily inspired. However, its prominence rose sharply under Adolf Hitler's leadership when wealthy Nazi supporters started heavily investing in it. The programs were subsequently shaped to complement Nazi racial policies.
  Those targeted for destruction under Nazi eugenics policies were largely living in private and state-operated institutions, identified as "life unworthy of life", including prisoners, degenerates, dissidents, people with congenital cognitive and physical disabilities including people who were feeble-minded, epileptic, schizophrenic, manic-depressive, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, deaf, blind, homosexual, idle, insane, and the weak, for elimination from the chain of heredity. More than 400,000 people were sterilized against their will, while up to 300,000 were killed under Action T4, a mass murder program.
context_section_description: In organizing their eugenics program the Nazis were inspired by the United States' programs of forced sterilization, especially on the eugenics laws that had been enacted in California.
  The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, enacted on July 14, 1933, allowed the compulsory sterilisation of any citizen who according to the opinion of a "Genetic Health Court" suffered from a list of alleged genetic disorders and required physicians to register every case of hereditary illness known to them, except in women over 45 years of age. Physicians could be fined for failing to comply.
  In 1934, the first year of the Law's operation, nearly 4,000 people appealed against the decisions of sterilization authorities. A total of 3,559 of the appeals failed. By the end of the Nazi regime, over 200 Hereditary Health Courts (Erbgesundheitsgerichte) were created, and under their rulings over 400,000 persons were sterilized against their will.
caption: Collection bus for killing patients
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "GIMP 2.6.11", "Image DateTime": "2012:09:23 19:00:06", "Image ExifOffset": "146", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1259", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "889"}