WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Jewish groups have condemned Nazi comparisons being used by opponents of healthcare reform.
"Regardless of the political differences and the substantive differences in the debate over healthcare, the use of Nazi symbolism is outrageous, offensive and inappropriate," Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement Friday.
"Americans should be able to disagree on the issues without coloring it with Nazi imagery and comparisons to Hitler."
David A. Harris, president of the National Jewish Democratic Council, called the Nazi references "profoundly troubling," Fox News reported.
Talk-show host Rush Limbaugh has compared Obama's healthcare reform logo to a swastika and has compared Obama to Adolf Hitler.
Some opponents of healthcare reform say it could bring euthanasia for elderly people because of a proposal to allow doctors to counsel the elderly about what treatment they would want and to offer advice on living wills.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs also condemned the Nazi comparisons.
"Anytime you make references to what happened in Germany in the '30s and '40s, I think you are talking about an event that has no equivalent," he said Friday. "And I think anytime anyone ventures to compare anything to that, they are on thin ice."
