Thomas Aquinas is credited with introducing the principle of double effect in his discussion of the permissibility of self-defense in the Summa Theologica.
1st criterion- Object of the act must be good- Good or indifferent
The principle of double effect aims to provide specific guidelines for determining when it is ethically permissible for a human being to engage in conduct in pursuit of a good end with full knowledge that the conduct will also bring about bad results. Although there has been much substantive disagreement concerning the precise formulation of this principle, the principle of double effect generally states that, in cases where an agent contemplates conduct that has both good effects and bad effects, the course of conduct selected is ethically permissible only if it is not wrong in itself and if it does not require that one directly intend the bad result.
Requirements:
1. What you perform must be good or indifferent
2. Intention of the agent- Beneficial effect or harmful effect
3. The beneficial effect must be equal or better and greater than the harmful effect, if not the principle of double effect is illegitimate.
4. Order of time- Beneficial effect, harmful effect, it could happen in the same time.
Principle of legitimate cooperation:
1. The cooperation is not immediate
2. The degree of cooperation and the degree of scandal are taken into account
Cooperation
Formal- Agent identifies itself with purpose of evil act.
Material- Only the act itself but not the purpose
Formal
-Immediate, directly does it.
-Agree to the act
-Condole- Don’t worry about it, its nothing
-Advising or counseling
Material
-There’s an objection
-Religious belief
Principle of organ donation:
- A person can dispose his body parts and to destine it, that are still useful, morally, irreproachable, noble and among them the desire to aid the sick and suffering.
- It should not change the personality of the person.
1. There is serious need on the part of the recipient that cannot be fulfilled in any other way
2. The functional integrity of the donor as human person will not be impaired, even though anatomical integrity may suffer.
3. The risk taken by the donor as an act of charity is proportionate to the good resulting for the recipient.
4. Donor consent is free and informe
5. The recipients for the scarce organs are selected justly.
Fetal pathology:
Any disease, illness or injury which all cause death if allowed to run its course.
If the treatment to cure/alleviate pathology is:
-Effective and does not impose grave burden- It must be utilize
-Ineffective or non-benificial it must not be used.
-Effective but imposes grave burden, it may be withhold or withdrawn.
In such circumstance the intention is not to kill the patient but simple to avoid doing something useless.,
Loch’s Law in medicine
-if what you do works continue doing it.
-if what you doesn’t’ work stop doing it
-If you do not know what you’re doing don’t do anything at all
“Always do good”
The term beneficence connotes acts of mercy, kindness, and charity, and is suggestive of altruism, love, humanity, and promoting the good of others. In ordinary language, the notion is broad; but it is understood still more broadly in ethical theory, to include effectively all forms of action intended to benefit or promote the good of other persons. The language of a principle or rule of beneficence refers to a normative statement of a moral obligation to act for the benefit of others, helping them to further their important and legitimate interests, often by preventing or removing possible harms. Many dimensions of applied ethics appear to incorporate appeals to beneficence in this sense, even if only implicitly.
Principle in the use of Ordinary and Extraordinary
Extraordinary refers to intervention that does not offer any reasonable hope of recovery, or that which makes care unreasonable hardsome.
Ordinary- Refers not only to nutrition hydration or respiration, but also to any treatment or intervention that others reasonable hope of recovery, or does not make care unreasonably burdensome.
Euthanasia – Avoid pain and suffering
Eu- good
Thanathos- death
Active- commission of the act ex. administration of lethal drugs
Passive- Omission of the act ex. deny a person for therapeutic intervention
Dysthanasia- prolongation of dying process
- wrong use of medicine and wrong use of health care resources
Orthothanasia- Most ethical, right death
- Process to remove useless care to allow patient to die in a natural way.
Hippocrates good medicine:
Cures sometimes
Relieves often
Comfort always
Withdrawing life support
-He connect is must remove it
-Ethical when life support is already useless and when it is just prolonging life
Death and dying
1. When disease or illness overcomes the human organism
2. When vital organs necessary for life case to function permanently
3. Irreversible loss of cardio respiratory function
Philosophically:
It is a stoppage of self motion
When
Theologically
It is right for passage- just transformed- higher calling
It has beautiful message
It is a great heritage-without death the would be a messy place
No comments:
Post a Comment