Hereditary Health Court

Court system in Nazi Germany for enforcing eugenics policies

The Hereditary Health Court (Erbgesundheitsgericht) was a special court in Nazi Germany responsible for enforcing the Nazi eugenics policies. These courts were established under the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring (Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses) enacted on July 14, 1933. The primary function of these courts was to decide on cases involving the compulsory sterilization of individuals deemed "hereditarily diseased."

Establishment and Purpose

The Hereditary Health Courts were established as part of the Nazi regime's efforts to implement their racial hygiene policies. The courts were tasked with identifying individuals who were considered to have genetic defects that could be passed on to future generations. The goal was to prevent these individuals from reproducing, thereby "improving" the genetic quality of the German population.

Legal Framework

The legal basis for the Hereditary Health Courts was the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, which mandated the sterilization of individuals with conditions such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, Huntington's disease, blindness, deafness, and severe alcoholism. The law was part of a broader set of Nazi eugenics policies aimed at promoting the "purity" of the Aryan race.

Court Structure and Procedure

The Hereditary Health Courts were composed of a judge, a medical officer, and another physician. Cases were often initiated by public health officials or family members. The court would review medical records, hear testimonies, and make a decision on whether the individual should be sterilized. The decisions of the Hereditary Health Courts could be appealed to the Higher Hereditary Health Court (Erbgesundheitsobergericht).

The Oberlandesgericht in Cologne, a site of legal proceedings

Impact and Consequences

The Hereditary Health Courts were responsible for the forced sterilization of approximately 400,000 individuals between 1934 and 1945. The sterilization program was a precursor to the more extreme measures of the Holocaust, where the Nazi regime sought to eliminate entire groups of people deemed "undesirable."

Criticism and Legacy

The actions of the Hereditary Health Courts have been widely condemned as a violation of human rights and an example of the dangers of pseudoscientific theories being used to justify state-sponsored discrimination and violence. After the fall of the Nazi regime, the Nuremberg Trials addressed some of these crimes, and the principles of medical ethics were re-evaluated to prevent such abuses in the future.

Related pages

• Nazi eugenics
• Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring
• Nuremberg Trials
• Holocaust