Which concept describes an action that relieves pain but may hasten death due to respiration suppression?

Which concept describes an action that relieves pain but may hasten death due to respiration suppression?

• A. Living Will
• B. Health Care Proxy
• C. Double Effect
• D. Slippery Slope

Answer: (C)

The doctrine of double effect explains why an action aimed at relieving pain can be morally permissible even if it may hasten death as a foreseen side effect. The key idea is that there are two effects: a good, intended one (pain relief) and a bad, unintended one (possible respiratory depression leading to quicker death). For this to be ethically acceptable, the intention must be the good effect, the bad effect must be foreseen but not intended, the good effect must be proportionate to the bad, and there should be no better alternative to achieve the relief that avoids the bad effect. In palliative care, for example, giving high-dose opioids to relieve severe suffering may unintentionally hasten death, but the goal is pain relief, not to cause death. Living Will and Health Care Proxy relate to who makes decisions or what wishes are expressed about care, not to justifying actions with potentially lethal side effects. Slippery Slope is a fear that accepting one step will lead to extreme consequences, not a principle for evaluating the ethics of a specific action aimed at relief.

The doctrine of double effect explains why an action aimed at relieving pain can be morally permissible even if it may hasten death as a foreseen side effect. The key idea is that there are two effects: a good, intended one (pain relief) and a bad, unintended one (possible respiratory depression leading to quicker death). For this to be ethically acceptable, the intention must be the good effect, the bad effect must be foreseen but not intended, the good effect must be proportionate to the bad, and there should be no better alternative to achieve the relief that avoids the bad effect. In palliative care, for example, giving high-dose opioids to relieve severe suffering may unintentionally hasten death, but the goal is pain relief, not to cause death.

Living Will and Health Care Proxy relate to who makes decisions or what wishes are expressed about care, not to justifying actions with potentially lethal side effects. Slippery Slope is a fear that accepting one step will lead to extreme consequences, not a principle for evaluating the ethics of a specific action aimed at relief.