In ‘The Giver’, the euphemism for killing elderly or disabled people is “Release.”
The Community presents Release as an ordinary administrative process for people who are elderly, chronically troublesome, or unable to meet its standards. Residents are told that those who are released go “Elsewhere,” a vague destination that makes the practice sound peaceful and honorable rather than lethal.
Jonas discovers the truth after watching a recording of his father releasing one of two identical newborn twins. The procedure is actually a lethal injection, followed by disposal of the body. The revelation also changes Jonas’s understanding of the Community’s treatment of elderly people and infants who fail to thrive.
“Elsewhere” is a related term, but it names the supposed destination, not the act itself. “Ceremony” refers to formal Community rituals, while “Sameness” describes the social system’s removal of difference, risk, and strong emotion. The euphemism is central to Lois Lowry’s criticism of societies that hide violence behind bureaucratic language.