What are the 4 principles of the double effect?
Classical formulations of the principle of double effect require that four conditions be met if the action in question is to be morally permissible: first, that the action contemplated be in itself either morally good or morally indifferent; second, that the bad result not be directly intended; third, that the good …
What is the principle of double effect example?
In cases when saving the life of a pregnant woman causes the death of her unborn child – for example, performing an abortion when continuing the pregnancy would risk killing the mother – some people argue that this is a case of the doctrine of double effect.
What is the principle of double effect in nursing?
“The principle of double effect provides justification in which the process is based on the intended outcome of pain and symptom relief and the proportionality of benefit and harm. The intention of administering the sedation is for the good effect, not the intention of hastening death.
What is the double effect in psychology?
The doctrine of double effect is a moral principle that distinguishes between harm we cause as a means to an end and harm that we cause as a side-effect. The doctrine of double effect is an unlikely target for psychological research.
What is the rule of double effect?
Abstract. The Rule of Double Effect (RDE) holds that it may be permissible to harm an individual while acting for the sake of a proportionate good, given that the harm is not an intended means to the good but merely a foreseen side-effect.
What is the double effect in natural law?
This doctrine says that if doing something morally good has a morally bad side-effect it’s ethically OK to do it providing the bad side-effect wasn’t intended. This is true even if you foresaw that the bad effect would probably happen.
What is the meaning of double effect?
According to the principle of double effect, sometimes it is permissible to cause a harm as a side effect (or “double effect”) of bringing about a good result even though it would not be permissible to cause such a harm as a means to bringing about the same good end.
What is the principle of double effect in bioethics?
The doctrine holds that, in the context of actions that have both good and bad effects, an action that has a bad effect is morally permissible if (a) the action itself is good, (b) its perpetrator’s intention is solely to produce the good effect, (c) the good effect is not achieved through the bad, and (d) there is …
Is the doctrine of double effect irrelevant in end of life decision making?
Here, bringing about a satisfactory dying process for a patient is a good effect, not a bad one. What matters is that patients die without pain and suffering. This marks a crucial departure from the double-effect doctrine; if the patient’s death is not a bad effect then the doctrine is clearly irrelevant.
What is rule of double effect?
The principle of double effect is based on the idea that there is a morally relevant difference between an “intended” consequence of an act and one that is foreseen by the actor but not calculated to achieve their motive. The action, apart from the foreseen evil, must be either morally good or indifferent.
Is the Doctrine of Double Effect legal?
Acting in accordance with the common law doctrine of double effect may not provide legal protection. Similar changes are likely to occur in other States and Territories as there is a trend towards enacting legislative defences that deal with the provision of palliative care.
Who came up with the principle of double effect?
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas is credited with introducing the principle of double effect in his discussion of the permissibility of self-defense in the Summa Theologica (II-II, Qu. 64, Art.
What is the result of the double effect?
Double effect can produce an unexpected moral result: If you do think that a quicker death is better than a slower one then the Doctrine of Double Effect shows that a doctor who intended to kill the patient is morally superior to a doctor who merely intended to relieve pain.
What is the rule of double effect in assisted suicide?
They also make a category mistake by applying this rule to the situation of assisted suicide. The rule of double effect is only 1 moral rule among many. It is only designed to cover certain kinds of actions, while other rules cover other kinds of actions.
Is the double effect of death always bad?
Death is not always bad – so double effect is irrelevant: Other philosophers say that the Doctrine of Double Effect assumes that we think that death is always bad.
Is the rule of double effect valid or invalid?
The rule of double effect is either valid or invalid. It cannot be both. If the rule of double effect is, in fact, logically and morally valid, then the most helpful policy for patients would be to educate physicians about its proper application.
