Suppose a 90-year-old man is dying of cancer and is in excruciating pain that no medicine can relieve.He asks to be given a lethal injection.According to the doctrine of double effect,is giving the injection morally permissible?
A)Yes.
B)No,unless his family consents.
C)Yes,as long as the hospital allows it.
D)No.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The doctrine of double effect states that it is morally permissible to perform an action that has both good and bad effects if four conditions are met: the action must be morally good or indifferent in itself, the agent must intend only the good effect and not the bad effect, the bad effect cannot be the means to achieve the good effect, and there must be proportionality between the good and bad effects. In the case of giving a lethal injection to a dying patient, the intended effect is to relieve the patient's pain, but the unintended effect is to cause death, which would violate the third condition of the doctrine of double effect. Therefore, giving a lethal injection in this case is not morally permissible.

Suppose a 90-Year-Old Man Is Dying of Cancer and Is