The perfect storm of intellectual thought, economic reality and societal context that allowed the mass killings of "undesirables" in Germany before and during the Second World War, is swirling today, warned an American professor.

And while history won't repeat itself exactly -- it's doubtful that even pro-abortionists would condone death camps -- "the pro-abortion twist is spinning bad into good," said Mark Mostert, director of the Institute for the Study of Disability and Bioethics at Regent University, in Virginia. "In the battle for the sanctity of life, we need to watch what's happening with legally assisted-suicide and euthanasia. The sick, infirm, elderly and those with disabilities are most at risk."

Mostert, a professor of special education, was a guest speaker at the annual conference of Alliance for Life Ontario, that was held Friday and Saturday in Guelph. He said medical and technological advances now allow doctors to do more for their patients, including detecting defects in unborn children, which is adding to a death-on-demand culture.

"The ethical thinking hasn't caught up with the scientific advances and we really need to have those discussions," he said. "What we're talking about is the value of a life."

Mostert said those values began to shift in Germany after the First World War, when intellectuals, medical researchers and law makers began to measure a person's value by how much they contributed to the economy. By extension, those who did not or could not contribute were considered a burden.

Alfred Hoche and Karl Binding co-wrote a book that proved to be a death knell for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Because of their shortcomings, theirs were lives "unworthy of living.

"We start to see that rather than having an inherent right to live, humans were valuable only if they contributed more than they consumed. Binding and Hoche called them 'incurable idiots,' 'empty human husks,' 'useless eaters.' "

By 1938 mercy killing was accepted as humane and many parents of children with disabilities were requesting their children be euthanized, Mostert said.

By 1939, killing programs for children with disabilities were widespread. Mostert said 6,000 disabled children were killed during this time. Nazis who later worked in concentration camps for Jews got their initial training at gas chambers built for the disabled.

By 1941 the focus shifted to Jews, but not before 80,000 persons with disabilities had been killed, Mostert said.

Mostert sees parallels with today: parents can opt to abort fetuses when birth defects are detected and euthanasia is viewed as allowable in some cases.

"In Germany, all these ideas arose together -- social, intellectual and research thinking were all on the same page. And we are indeed in an era of eugenics today, too. Killing because of genetic characteristics." He urged his audience to redouble its efforts to preserve and value all life.

Jakki Jeffs, executive director of Alliance for Life Ontario and Guelph's Right to Life group, that organized the conference, said her group has partnered with Concerned Women for America to reduce the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome.

"We want people to know there are places to go for help for help. Abortion is not the only option," Jeffs said. See www. downsyndromebrochure.com.