Transcript The Illusion of Moral Neutrality

Principle of
Double Effect
Physical vs Moral Evil
A person is morally permitted to do an act
which has both a good and an evil effect
if there is no other way to get the good effect
and if the following conditions are met:
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Direct abortion is always morally evil.
Indirect abortion may be morally permitted
if all of the conditions of the
Principle of Double Effect are met.
Two modern ethical systems:

Consequentialism:
determines the moral quality of an act based solely
on the foreseeable consequences of the act.

Proportionalism:
determines the moral quality of an
act based on the proportion between
good and evil effects which come
from the act.
good
effects
bad
effects
St. Joseph Hospital, Phoenix, AZ

Mother
• 11 weeks pregnant
• Suffering from pulmonary hypertension, which
limits the ability of the heart and lungs to function
and is made worse, possibly even fatal, by
pregnancy.
• Baby’s death approved by Sister Margaret, vice
president of mission integration and member of the
ethics committee

Bishop Olmsted:
– “An unborn child is not a disease. While medical
professionals should certainly try to save a pregnant
mother’s life, the means by which they do it can never
be by directly killing her unborn child. The end does
not justify the means.”
– If a Catholic formally cooperates in an abortion, he or
she is automatically excommunicated.

Ethical and Religious Directives for
Catholic Health Care:
– Abortion is defined as the directly intended termination
of pregnancy, and it is not permitted under any
circumstances – even to save the life of the mother.
– “Operations, treatments and medications that have as
their direct purpose the cure of a proportionately
serious pathological condition of a pregnant woman are
permitted … even if they will result in the death of the
unborn child.”

Hospital’s reply:
– “If there had been a way to save the pregnancy and still
prevent the death of the mother, we would have done it.
We are convinced there was not.”
Moral principles:

A good end does not justify an evil means.

Avoid moral evil at all costs.