The debate about euthanasia since the 19th century and its significance for the current discussion on assisted dying. Ethical questions surrounding assisted dying and end-of-life care are highly relevant, but not new. Since the late 19th century, there has been discussion about euthanasia, which refers to a good and gentle death brought about by a physician. Gerrit Hohendorf outlines the historical debate on euthanasia, its connection to the concept of "life unworthy of life," and points to the consequences this idea had during the National Socialist era: 300,000 mentally ill and disabled individuals were murdered under the guise of "mercy killing." The author advocates for a careful learning from history beyond a rhetorical analogy to the Nazi era: the debate on euthanasia always carries the risk of viewing human life as no longer worth living.